KRUEGER & VOORHEES: The Final Fear
by Christopher G Part 2
Summary: “You want me?” Jason whirled around to see the same scarred face, dusty brown fedora, long black trench over a red and green striped shirt, and blades for fingers on his right hand. “Come and get me."
1. Introduction & Prologue

Author's Note

**__**

Theories & Speculations:

This match-up has been the topic of debate for a while. Who would win? Will they even attempt to appease the fans and make this movie? As far as I can tell, this project has been green-lighted. It will supposedly go into production after the release of _Jason X _this year. There have been a handful of scripts as far as I know, these are the ideas I discovered online: (1) Freddy and Jason fighting for control of Hell. (2) Another has them linked together throughout their respective histories, like maybe Freddy was directly (or indirectly) responsible for Jason's "death" as a child. (3) Some Freddy worshippers bring the fiend back from the dead and a Jason devotee summons Jason to counter that. (4) Ancient supreme evils are using Freddy and Jason as pawns in a deadly game. This last one supposedly links their origins to something very old, like the evil in _New Nightmare. _All very cute ideas. Whichever one they use, I hope they still follow their plan of elevating the both of them, making them more powerful than they have ever been and larger than life, pulling out all the stops in a special effects galore epic. 

As far as the basic idea of the script, this will be a fight with each of them on opposing sides rather than teaming up. Which one will win remains to be seen. The buzz is that they will shoot more than one ending to deter industry big mouths and they may actually alternate both endings in its theatrical release. One has Freddy emerging the victor and the other has Jason winning. Support for Freddy is that he will win because this is a New Line movie and since he is New Line's cash cow, he cannot be portrayed as a loser. Support for Jason states that since Robert Englund plans to retire the role of Freddy, Jason will win. Another theory for Jason's victory is that he will win because of this belief that there are supposed to be a total of 13 Jason movies. This has been the belief for a while. Whoever wins, their series will continue. A counter to this theory is that Freddy can win and the _Nightmare _series can possibly go on without the involvement of Robert Englund, especially since folks now seem to prefer the darker less-funny Freddy. Many speculate that he only played himself in _New Nightmare _and another actor played the stronger, supremely evil Freddy. (It has been confirmed that Englund did play Freddy in _New Nightmare._ Wes Craven told me himself. Since the mood of the film was different, Robert's portrayal was different as well.)

(February 9, 2001: I have just finished reading two rejected scripts of the movie. Just in case they decide to use one, I won't use too many spoilers. The first one brought back Alice and her son Jacob _(Dream Master, Dream Child),_ as well as Jason's niece Jessica, her husband Steven and their child Stephanie _(Jason Goes to Hell). _The script goes way back in history, to a time of chivalry and magic. I was thinking that maybe this was a good setup. However, Freddy and Jason were doing things that were extremely uncharacteristic of the both of them. And while this was a good story, it didn't fit earlier movies in the series. It was too much of a sci-fi/fantasy story. The visuals, or what I could decipher of them, were excellent. But Freddy and Jason were just doing some dumb stuff. The body count was too low as well. The second one was more along the lines of what we were used to. It suggested that everything that happened in the Jason films was untrue, that he was never killed and he is very much human. The laugh was when they had a lawyer (with the last name Jarvis, no relation to Tommy from parts 4,5, and 6 supposedly) try to defend Jason in a court of law! Freddy was the one we're used to from _Nightmare's 3,4,5, _and _6_, cracking jokes and using people's worse fears to kill them. This script was a lot of fun while the other one tried to create far too much Anne Rice/Clive Barker myth. However, the second one I read wasn't nearly as ambitious as the other, never for once letting the monsters expand into something more grand or evil. Both linked Freddy and Jason some kind of way, betraying each series' own reality. I was happy to see that neither of them featured the same ideas I had in my outline. Sigh of relief!)

__

****

My Story:

Ever feel like there was a story you were just meant to tell? Like you are the only one who can do it justice? This is how I feel about my Freddy/Jason story.

It was the entire internet buzz that sparked my imagination to come up with my own take on this story, and what better place to post it than FanFiction.Net? The fans are hungry, for something, anything. This has been proven by the number of hits the Freddy and Jason fansites have been getting as of late, namely one that has fans submit their own plot ideas and treatments. I looked over these ideas and they made me laugh. I am not perfect, nor am I the best writer in the world, but they were all very stupid. Yes, even the producers behind the upcoming film have stated that it is extremely difficult to merge the two different histories and personalities into one script. But did these kids even think before they began writing? 

To make the story work, I had to strip certain elements away and keep the ones that best complimented the tale. For starters, my story will not take place in the reality that was depicted in _New Nightmare. _Neither Freddy or Jason will be referred to as "that thing from the movie." However, I have tried to retain the dark, ominous portrayal of Freddy from the last movie There will not be a lot of wisecracks or roach motel murders. Here all of the things that happened up until _Freddy's Dead _as well as all of the Jason movies will be referred to as myth, like we refer to "Bloody Mary" or 'The Boogey Man". It will, however, take place in the same reality as the two series and draw from both of their timelines. This story takes place before the events of _Jason X, _which will take place in the future. I cannot draw from that story because I don't know how it turns out and it would be unfair to Freddy's timeline since Freddy hasn't been depicted in the future.

A problem I ran into was the overall tone of the story. Freddy is more like dark fantasy while Jason is straight up slasher. So, since they are meeting in the same story, do I make it an action-packed apocalyptic battle for supremacy? Or do I take it back to both of their essences by having them stalk teenagers in a suspense-filled tale of horror? I decided to use both, the story beginning as the latter idea that will elevate into something bigger near the end. The ending, I hope, will please fans of both series. By the way, it is very hard to give each killer sufficient, equal time. I don't want this to be seen as more of a Freddy tale, or more of a Jason tale, but a story that gives them equal due. I also had to draw from other influences like _Scream _and _Urban Legend, _since this will be a story of the times. So, maybe there will be a few classic horror references and in-jokes between the teenage characters. This isn't a spoiler, but there's a point when the black character Ricky is like "I'm getting the hell outta here because black folks never make it out alive!" This brought up another issue: Do I follow the horror movie formulas that were the basis of the jokes in _Scream? _Or do I take it in another direction? You'll see, and discover whether or not Ricky makes it out alive. 

I initially balked at the idea of bringing back characters from each series, like Alice from _Dream Master _or Nancy from the original _Nightmare_. But I thought, why not? As I write this introduction, I have decided to work in a survivor from _Dream Warriors._ I do not plan to use Freddy's daughter Maggie/Katherine. I will also use a prominent character from the Jason series. 

The plot isn't very difficult or forced as far as bringing the two of them together. Some may think the way I brought them back is rather silly, but it is plausible in its own reality. I have decided to include mentions of an ancient evil, and go from their very origins as demons to how they were killed as humans to certain events that were portrayed in each series, all tied together through one simple focal point that I cannot reveal here. So it will follow the traditional story structure of beginning, middle and end with some very important flashbacks thrown in for good measure. We will see Freddy and Jason as kids, their birth into monsters, and eventually someone's ultimate demise. Maybe some of these ideas will change during the course of my writing.

(Note: Since this isn't a screenplay, I have more creative leeway, meaning that I can convey things that probably could not translate well on screen. This is a story folks, so expect some thought behind it. However, there will not be any filler. I still want you to feel like you are watching a movie.)

So Freddy fans, root all you want. We all know that Freddy's power is more Jeannie than Samantha, but do not underestimate Jason. He is the strong, silent stalker, the Frankenstein to Freddy's Dracula. Jason is a little more to the point, his murders are cut and dry (no pun intended).

But not so fast, Jason fans! Freddy's killings are far-reaching and more imaginative. Freddy can get inside one's head, maybe even Jason's! Jason has a child's soul and Freddy loves nothing more than killing children.

One more point about who will win and get appropriate due. I am not bound by New Line or Wes Craven or anyone to make either one of them the victor. In fact, I am not supposed to be writing this at all. Even so, I can do whatever the hell I want with these two! And I will not reveal who I prefer because I think either of them could defeat the other.

**__**

Disclaimer:

The character of Freddy Krueger is owned by New Line Cinema and always has been. Jason Voorhees, since _Jason Goes to Hell_, is also the property of New Line. This work of fiction was in no way written to gain profit or bastardize their stories. If you sue me, be thorough and get all those fans who wrote those wack scripts online!

•THIS FRIDAY WILL BE ONE HELL OF A NIGHTMARE•

****

Krueger & Voorhees: The Final Fear

__

They would know pain, Lucy thought. _Pain the likes of which they have never felt in their entire lives_. They would pay for their taunts, their teasing. It would all come to an end.

She ran her hand over her creation. The bio-mechanical body was a great achievement, something she had been working on for the past few months, and how she'd gotten samples of the creature's DNA for the new host was a hoot. _Never insult a genius._ She was proud of the robotic attributes she'd given the body. It was about six and a half feet in height, with a frame that would suggest a weight of 260 pounds of muscle were it completely human. She'd outfitted it in dark blue coveralls, black worker boots and dark gloves. Just the way he was so long ago, only better.

She'd needed a host, a vessel for the spirit she would call upon to do her bidding. Lucy wasn't afraid of breaking into the Crystal Lake Research Facility and acquiring the thing's all but dead genes. Add that to the comatose body she'd had Matthew help her steal and the mechanical attributes and she had something that would make the greatest recombinant DNA surgeon envious. For good measure, she'd taken some of Matthew's blood and set it in the refrigerator until she was ready to use it. She would use the blood because of its lifeforce, as a conductor for the spirit to enter the part dead/part synthetic frame.

Lucy attached the chains that hung from the mechanism in the ceiling to the hooks that protruded from the thing's body.

She began to recite the words, the candles burning brightly in various places around the cellar.

Then she stopped. She'd forgotten one thing.

"Matthew!" she called.

The guy, who was about her age, entered the cellar, with the chrome goalie mask in hand. It was bright and shiny. It reflected the candlelight and made elaborate designs across the stone walls.

"Are you sure you wanna do this?" he asked.

She snatched the mask away. "Are you sure you wanna get some tonight?"

He looked away from her sheepishly.

She placed the mask on the face of the body. She kept her hand on its forehead and recited the verses. Matthew put his hands over his ears. He couldn't bare to listen. She'd done stuff like this before, and gotten all loud and overly excited. Lucy shrieked. She recited the verses once more, and was silent.

"Nothing's happening," Matt noted.

She shushed him. "Wait. I feel something."

There were several claps of thunder outside. It rumbled hard and fast. 

Suddenly the mechanism above surged to life, its gears turning and its chains rattling. The two of them watched, jaws agape. An electric current fizzled at the ceiling, then made it's way down along the chains and trailing along the thin, veiny rivulets of Matthew's blood around the figure's body. The chains began to pull the body upward.

It tried to sit up, straining the chains to their limits.

Lucy took a step back. Matthew stood very still.

Then it turned to face her.

A smile spread across Lucy's face.

The figure began to struggle viciously, succeeding in breaking all of the chains. It landed onto the table with a loud thump. 

"Holy shit!" Matthew gasped.

But one of the long chains that popped into the air lowered back down and wrapped itself around the figure's neck, yanking it off the table and into the air.

It had stopped struggling. Now it's limbs dangled uselessly.

"No!" Lucy exclaimed. Then she shrugged, turning to a visibly shaken Matthew. "We'll have to try again later. Looks like ol' Mister Voorhees has given up on me!" She advanced toward Matthew. Her hand slid up his chest.

"Not now," he said in a nervous, hushed voice.

"Do you know how much this turns me on, Matthew?"

"You're sick," he noted.

She let out a throaty laugh. "You don't know how tired I am of hearing that."

She was unbuckling his jeans when the candles flickered out. An unearthly presence was so thick she could almost smell it.

Matt didn't move. He wasn't very familiar with the cellar, and he also didn't believe it would work . . .

He really didn't.

He almost gagged when the candles re-ignited.

The chains hung from the ceiling, but the figure was no longer hanging there.

It suddenly turned very cold for the both of them.

There was a tiny glimmer of fear in Lucy's eyes, but she wouldn't let Matt see it. 

"I'm getting out of here," he declared and turned for the door--

But that thing was blocking his exit.

"Oh shit," he said.

Its hand reached out and grabbed him by the throat, lifting him and trying to squeeze the life out of him. It didn't speak, just breathed laboriously. Matt gagged, trying to pry the gloved fingers from his throat.

Lucy was slowly backing away, her eyes wide in amazement. She thought she'd be able to control this thing, but maybe she was wrong.

Suddenly it threw Matt across the room, his head knocking against the stone tile. He was out cold. For some reason, it was no longer interested in him. It advanced for Lucy. 

"You better listen to me!" she said. "I brought you back!"

But it was all in vain. It reached back and punched her with force unknown. She fell back against the table. Then it grabbed her by the legs and swung her, hard, against the wall, snapping her spine and smashing her skull.

It let her body fall to the ground.

It turned to look for the boy. He was right where it left him.

It walked over to him, but was thrown back, by some unseen force.

A malevolent cackle filled the cellar as Matt's body rose and he walked out, barely noticing the thing as it tried to come after him. It was as if something was pulling him by the collar of his shirt.

There was some kind of barrier protecting the boy. The thing couldn't get to him.

It could not freely move until the boy was gone. 

The cackle continued, echoing throughout the night.

•Zero Hour•

The two men sat at the table in the middle of a vast desert. The air was dry all around them. The sky was a dry, burnt red color. There was a slight breeze. There was no other life there. They both wore similar tan robes, but the one wore his hood.

"So it has come to this," the one wearing the hood noted.

The other nodded solemnly. "I am through with this world. Look what it has become. Do with it as you must."

The other chuckled. "Are you certain?"

"I am positive. How long have we been having this conversation?"

"Quite a long time," the hooded one said. 

The hoodless man looked away from him. "And I have kept my part of the bargain. I have failed myself, therefore, this world is yours."

The hooded one couldn't believe it. "It's too easy," he remarked.

The hoodless one continued. "I have seen them make a mockery of everything I have created. There is murder. There is rape. Hate. Recklessness. Crimes unimaginable. And it's not even by your hand."

"Now I wouldn't say that."

"It's true. I thought they would overcome it, but they have not." He returned his gaze. "Have you chosen the one who would bring it to you?"

The other was silent for a moment. Then, "I have narrowed it down to two. They each have extreme potential and power. I have not made my decision. However, they are gaining in their own way as the years advance."

"How will you make your final decision?"

"I have set a goal," the hooded one said. "Only they do not realize it. They have, however, been working toward it for a while."

•1957•

Fred smiled as he watched the younger child bob and weave in the lake. _Look at him, so helpless. So naive. He's scared to move to the deep end. He's so weak. _He felt mildly sorry for the child, but it was only a passing emotion. The campers had been so mean to him, teasing him, making him feel like some kind of alien. The camp counselors didn't even pay him any mind. 

But, once again, it was only a passing emotion.

How could he feel sorry for someone who actually knew who his father was?

Fred could not relate.

He advanced to the edge of the lake

"Hey kid!" he called.

The younger boy whirled around, almost losing momentum. His arms flailed about for a moment, but he was okay now.

"What's your name, kid?" Fred asked.

"J- J- Jason," the kid stuttered.

"J- J- Jason?" Fred mocked. "What kind of name is that?"

The boy didn't catch the humor.

"You're funny-looking," Fred noted, referring to the boy's asymmetrical appearance. One side of his face seemed a little more exaggerated than the other half, the eye drooping downward. "You some kinda monster?' he asked.

The boy frowned, as best he could with that face.

"Be careful, kid," Fred said, and walked off.


	2. The Mysterious Lucy Malloy

****

The Present

Beth Armstrong's black CR-V trudged through the snowy, tree-lined road. She checked the dash. The clock read 11:30 PM. She was weary, and a little upset. In all her days of research she'd never encountered something as frustrating as this. The old hick's taunts echoed through her mind. _What in tarnation are you doin' here, young lady? Asking all these got-dang questions! We simple folk, ya hear? Turn around and take your city-slickin' ass on home. _She'd picked the wrong drunk to ask upon at that roadside bar in Wessex County. "Is this Massachusetts?" she asked, purposely patronizing him. _Yes. _"Is this Wessex?" _Yes. _"So where is Camp Crystal Lake?" The old guy broke up in laughter, gesturing to his faithful group of drinking partners. _Ya hear that, Billy? Where is Camp Crystal Lake? _he mocked. _Honey, there ain't no camp around here, there's not even a damn lake!_

She rolled her eyes and left. Beth knew that these stories came from somewhere, even myths had an origin. All she needed to do was find the source of them. The purpose of her book was to link these legends to truth, and so far it had gone perfect. Even if it was the tiniest detail, if it was fact, it helped.

But this Jason Voorhees thing seemed like a dead end.

What gives?

It was getting a little chilly inside of the truck, so she turned up the heat. She yawned, tired as hell, pulled her auburn hair into a ponytail, and withdrew a Marlboro from her fresh pack of cigarettes. She used a lighter to blaze it because the one that came with the vehicle took too damn long to heat for her tastes. She sighed after the first puff, and began feeling a little better. 

She passed a sign that read _Springlake, 20 Miles. _But she barely noticed it.

In fact, she barely noticed anything because she was rummaging around in her console to find her Lenny Kravitz tape. She needed music that would reflect her mood. When the insistent guitar riffs of "Are You Gonna Go My Way?" filled the truck, she was pleased.

Her eyes widened in horror when she saw the figure standing right in the path of the truck. 

It was only a split second after she slammed on the brakes that her head hit the steering wheel and everything went black.

****

•••

When her eyes opened, it was daylight. Beth realized that her truck was moving forward, but she was on the passenger side. She had a major headache. 

And that guy was driving her fucking truck!

"What the hell are you doing!" she demanded.

He turned to her and smiled, exposing perfectly shaped white teeth. "At least say thank you." He was mighty handsome, with curly jet-black hair and darkened skin in spite of the weather. He had a strong jaw line and dark green eyes.

"For what?"

"I'm the one that put that bandage on your head, girlie."

Beth felt her forehead. "Oh. Thank you." Then she regained her sense. "Why the hell are you doing driving my truck?"

"So I can get us to the hospital," he answered.

"If you hadn't ran out in the middle of the road, I wouldn't have to go to the hospital!" she shrieked.

"We are going for me, so that I can see my brother. He's hurt."

"I'm sorry to hear that . . . whatever your name is--"

"It's Nathan," he said.

"Okay. Nathan. Do you know how dangerous hitching is?"

He shrugged. "I know. I just wanna see my baby brother. What's your name?"

"Beth," she said lamely.

"I'm sorry, Beth. But I had to do this. Don't worry, we'll be there shortly."

He was quiet for a moment. Then. "So what brings you to town?"

Like she really wanted to engage in small talk. But she answered anyway. "I'm doing research. But I _was _heading home."

Nathan ignored the last part. "Research, huh? For what?"

"Mind your business and drive!"

"Whoa! Touchy! I just asked a simple question, good grief!"

She realized that maybe she was being too hard on him. Besides, he was kind of attractive. "I'm doing research for a book I'm writing on contemporary myths and legends."

He nodded thoughtfully. "Hmm, sounds interesting. Like what?"

"You know, like Jason Voorhees and the Springwood Slasher,"

Nathan chuckled. "Jason Voorhees? The Springwood Slasher? You writing a scary movie?"

Beth didn't answer.

They pulled up in front of Springlake General not long after. Nathan immediately ran for the front desk, demanding to know where Matthew Craig was. "He's in 5-D, room 512," the sullen attendant answered. She gave Beth a quizzical look. "Honey, is your head okay?"

Beth nodded. 

"You need to get that checked out." She passed Beth a clipboard and summoned an orderly. "Jeff, can you take this young lady to get checked after she fills this out." 

"No, really," Beth protested. "I'm okay." She almost looked to Nathan for help but he was already gone. She shrugged and reluctantly filled out the forms, then allowed Jeff to take her away.

****

•••

"I'm his only family," Nathan told Dr. Sheridan over the bleeps of the heart monitor and other hospital equipment. "Our parents were killed in a plane crash over ten years ago."

"I see," the good doctor said. "He's had quite a shock to his system. I'm not sure how long this coma will last."

Nathan looked at his brother with a glazed look in his eyes. "Coma."

"Yeah. What makes it so strange is that he brought himself to the hospital. He didn't even look shaken, there was a vacant look in his eyes, they told me."

"A vacant look in his eyes," Nathan repeated.

"Yes. Almost like he was sleepwalking."

****

•••

"A nurse with be with you shortly," Jeff said as Beth propped herself on the table.

"Thank you," she responded, and Jeff left.

Beth wrapped her arms around herself, she was so cold. Hospitals did that to her, they gave her a cold feeling, inside and out. And that medicinal smell only made it worse.

She wondered why she even agreed to do this; her headache had faded a long time ago.

She watched the clock. Its ticking seemed to get louder and louder. Beth sighed, hoping the nurse would hurry up. She played with a strand of auburn hair.

The door opened as if on cue and a moderately pretty middle-aged woman in a white uniform entered. "Hey, sweetie. Got a little bump on your head?"

Beth forced a smile. "Yeah, the lady at the desk thought you should check it out."

"Tell me what happened," the nurse ordered as she had Beth lay back on the table and withdrew her penlight.

"Well," Beth said as the nurse pulled open her left eyelid and shone the light into her pupil. "I was in a little car accident and banged my head on the steering wheel. But I think I'm okay now."

The nurse shook her head. "No you're not, sweetie."

"Excuse me?"

"You're gonna be here for a while," the nurse confirmed.

Beth tried to sit up. "It's only a bump. Really I'm okay."

The nurse wrapped her hand around Beth's neck and slammed her back down. "I said you're gonna be here for a while, BITCH!" she roared, in a guttural, almost male voice.

"No!" Beth screamed. She sat up and looked around her. She was alone in the hospital room. Her heart was beating out of control. 

The nurse had never even come into the room.

She assumed she must've dozed off.

Beth hopped off of the table and rushed to find Nathan, almost knocking the nurse over. She looked nothing like the one in her dream.

****

•••

"What's going on? Is he okay?" Beth asked as Nathan emerged from Matt's room.

"He's in a coma," Nathan answered. "Beth. You're bleeding."

"What?" she asked.

He went over to her and removed the bandage he'd applied the night before. "Shit. I thought they looked at this."

"I got outta there," Beth answered, snatching the gauze from Nathan and swabbing her forehead. "So you said he's in a coma?"

"Yeah. Matt came to the hospital yesterday and checked himself in. He has a few bruises and some head trauma." Nathan shrugged sadly. "No one knows what happened to him."

They both looked up when they heard footsteps pounding the linoleum, rushing towards Matt's room. There were two girls. One was voluptuous with cascading strawberry-blonde hair and the other was smaller, plain-looking yet pretty with a short mop of brunette hair. The bombshell was out of breath. "Excuse me. We gotta see him!"

"Wait a minute, you know my brother, Matt?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah, we go to school with him. We heard he turned up here. After what happened with Lucy."

"Who's Lucy?' Nathan asked. "I'm sorry, my name is Nathan."

"I'm Hunter." She gestured to the other girl. "And this is Michelle."

"So who's Lucy?" Nathan asked again.

"This girl Matt was seeing," the smaller girl, Michelle, said. "She was really weird."

"Was?" Beth asked.

The two girls looked rather uncomfortable. "She's missing," Hunter said. "Is Matt okay?"

Nathan shook his head. "He's in a coma."

"Oh god," Hunter responded. "I knew he should've never gotten involved with her!"

Nathan took Hunter's hands and looked her squarely in the eye. "I want you to tell me everything you know."

****

•••

Mickey did his final count of the cash drawer and deposited the money in the safe. He looked at his clock. It was 8:30, he'd closed the wilderness store on time. He was finally getting the hang of this, he didn't need the other mangers hounding him about they way he took his time closing. 

He looked up when there was a knock on the glass door. It was his girlfriend, Angela, come to pick him up. He walked from behind the counter and unlocked the door. "You're right on time," he said.

She looked dejected. "I have bad news, baby," she said. "My parents aren't going out for dinner tonight."

"Damn, how are we gonna have any privacy?" Mickey asked. "There's no way my roommates are gonna let me have the room tonight!"

Angela grabbed him by the waist and pulled him close. "There will be other times, Mickey."

"Hmph!" he snorted. "There will always be other times."

"It's not my fault!"

He looked away from her. "No one's blaming you."

Angela folded her arms and tried to stop herself from sulking. "Well, are you ready to go?"

Mickey suddenly had an idea. "Wait a minute."

"What?"

He gestured over to the counter. 

Angela laughed. "Mickey, you can't be serious!"

"C'mon, baby, it'll be fun. We're all alone . . ."

She contemplated it for a moment, then, "Alright."

Mickey grabbed her hand and pulled her behind the counter. He lay on the floor and she straddled him. In between hot kisses, they unbuckled their pants. Mickey let out a luxurious sigh when he entered her. Angela began a steady ride, Mickey grabbing her waist and holding on for dear life. Suddenly she stopped.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"You didn't hear that?" she said, looking around.

"Hear what?"

"I swear it sounds like somebody just came in."

"Angela, the door is locked."

"No it's not. I didn't lock it behind me."

"Shit, Angie!"

"Let me check before you get all crazy." She rose up from him and looked over the counter.

Nothing.

She sat back down on him. "I guess I'm just hearing things."

A sly smile crossed Mickey's face. "Are you trying to enhance the sense of urgency so it will be more dangerous?"

"No. I seriously think I heard something."

He grabbed her waist again and began pumping furiously, squeezing his eyes shut as he pounded.

"Oh Angela! Ohmygod! I love you! I love you!"

His eyes flew open when he felt something land on his stomach. It was heavy, like a melon.

Mickey screamed.

His eyes went from Angela's head which had fallen on him, a clean slice, to the figure towering behind her decapitated body. It was a tall, massive man wearing a chrome hockey mask. One of the store's large machetes was missing from the far wall. 

The killer had it.

He brought the weapon down onto Mickey's skull. 

****

•••

Beth, Nathan and Hunter stood before the door to Lucy's dorm room. 

"I don't know how useful this will be," Hunter said, "seeing as how Lucy and Becky never got along." She knocked on the door.

"She might have some answers about this girl," Nathan said determinedly.

The door opened and Rebecca Long stood before them with a cellphone pressed to her ear. "Can I help you?" she asked indignantly.

"Let us in, Becky," Hunter demanded. "We need to talk to you."

Rebecca pulled the door open wider. "I'll call you back, Gerald." She tossed the phone onto the bed.

"Why are you talking on your cell?" Hunter asked.

"Because the phone is in Lucy's name, and I haven't seen her in God knows how long. So much for roommates."

"Do you have any idea what happened to her?"

Rebecca folded her arms. "What's it to you?"

"This is Nathan, he's Matt's brother, and this is Beth."

Nathan and Beth exchanged greetings with the girl.

"My brother is in the hospital and Lucy's missing," Nathan said. "We were wondering if you knew anything."

"I've already been over this with the police," Rebecca said. "I don't know anything about the Blair Bitch's disappearance."

"What was she like?" Nathan asked.

"She was goth, really weird. We all made fun of her, she was such a case."

Beth was becoming uncomfortable. "Why do you keep referring to her in the past tense?"

"Sorry," Rebecca said. "Anyway, she was always going off, disappearing to some secret place, as she called it. I just blew it off as the ramblings of a psycho."

Beth was suddenly drawn to the desk that sat in the corner. Numerous volumes sat upright on it. She read their spines: _Myths and Legends, Fallen Souls, Anatomy of Sorcery,_ etc. "Is this Lucy's desk?" she asked.

"Oh yeah," Rebecca said. "I'm surprised the police didn't ask about that. She was really into that shit. Wicca and all that crap."

"She wouldn't happen to have a journal, would she?"

Nathan was agitated. "Beth, what are you doing?"

"Trying to help you."

He was skeptical. He noticed the spines too and they looked like great research for her book. Interesting.

Rebecca shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno. I doubt that she'd mention anything in there about her and Matt, if she had one."

"Why do you say that?" Nathan asked as Beth began thumbing through the volumes.

"I don't think she wanted anyone to know the nature of their relationship," Rebecca answered. "She was so secretive, so I don't think she'd write it down even for herself."

Beth suddenly held up one of the books. "Found it. She used this book as her journal." She sat down and flipped through it as the others gathered around her. "She writes sloppy as hell, I can barely read it."

"Maybe it's code," Hunter said sarcastically.

Beth read aloud from Lucy's writings. _"I have finally been able to do it, the cloning process is complete."_

"Did I forget to mention she was a genius?" Rebecca asked.

Beth continued. _"They will pay, the demon that would serve me will make them all pay."_ Beth turned to Becky and Hunter. "How badly did you guys tease her?"

Hunter shrugged. "Not enough for her to want to summon demons to come get us. That girl was crazy."

"Yeah," Rebecca agreed. "That's a bunch of boloney."

"I'm taking these," Beth said as she gathered all of Lucy's books.. "If the police call you again, you never knew about these books."

"Solid," Rebecca said.

Beth turned to Nathan and Hunter. "Let's get out of here."

****

•••

The Student Union was abuzz. Everyone was talking about Lucy. Michelle plopped down on one of the comfortable couches with Ricky Tucker and his girlfriend Tia Grey. Cooper Bentley, who thought he was God's gift to Hunter, sat across from them in an equally comfortable chair. They sipped on various types of coffee house lattes, courtesy of the lounge. Starbucks was far too expensive for a struggling student. Michelle had declined earlier when Hunter, Nathan and Beth said they were going to visit Becky for answers. She couldn't stand Becky; she was the worst to Lucy and she was her freaking roommate!. Michelle herself was the only one she knew that didn't hassle Lucy.

Why did it have to be Lucy that turned up missing and not that bitch Becky?

"Why are they making such a big deal out of this thing?" Coop asked indignantly, slumping so that his jet black hair flattened against the back of the chair.

"Why do you care?" Tia challenged, playing with Ricky's locks. "Are you the one that abducted her?"

Coop smirked. "She wasn't my type."

"Wasn't?" asked Ricky. "So they found her dead already?"

"I'm just saying . . ."

Tia laughed. "No, Coop. You're talking but you're not saying much of anything, as usual."

"You don't find all this a little strange?" Michelle asked. "I mean, Lucy isn't the only one that no one's heard from."

"What do you mean?" Ricky asked, he and Tia both turning to her while Coop looked on.

"I mean, Mickey Roberts and Angela Smith are nowhere to be found. Don't you find that strange?" 

Coop chuckled. "Oh, c'mon, Michelle! This was supposed to Mickey's night! Him and Angie are doing the deed!"

"Well," Michelle continued, "I called Angie for notes to the Psyche test and she wasn't there. Then I called Mickey to see if they were together and there was no answer. I even called Mickey's job." 

"Don't jump to conclusions," Ricky said. "You're just a little paranoid because of this whole Lucy thing. Everything will be cool. They'll find Lucy, put her in a halfway house, and in less than a year, Mickey and Angela will be proud parents!"

Tia and Coop cracked up. Michelle wasn't impressed at all.

Ricky playfully slapped his girlfriend's hand away from his head. "What are you doing?"

"I like playing in your hair. Your dreads are so cute," Tia said.

"Twists, Tia! They are called twists! Not dreads!"

Tia rolled her eyes. "Dreads, twists, what's the diff--"

"Wait a minute!" Michelle said, pointing to the mounted television near the back of the lounge. The students were hushed. There was a newscast on television, and the reporter was at the Springlake University Campus. One of the students hollered for someone to turn it up and another obliged.

"The body of Lucy Malloy has been finally recovered and she has been pronounced dead," the blonde reporter said. They cut to the exterior of an abandoned warehouse where an officer spoke. He confirmed her death, saying that the victim's spine was broken and her brain crushed, in more delicate terms. He also said that some strange paraphernalia was recovered from the warehouse. He would not name what it was. They cut back to an exterior of the campus with a close up on Rebecca. 

"I was her roommate," Rebecca said, barely flinching. "She was different."

"Is it true that the students of Springlake gave her a hard time for being different?" the reporter questioned.

Rebecca shrugged. "I mean, we all did a little. No one expected her to die, though. I wish I could take back every bad thing I said about her."

"Bullshit," Michelle said under her breath.

The scene cut to the news desk, where an attractive black male reporter sat. "In what may be a related story, Mickey Roberts and Angela Smith, two more of Springlake University's students, have been found dead at a nearby store where Roberts worked. The bodies were discovered by his manager, who came and found the door to the store unlocked and a machete unaccounted for. He'd come to make sure that Roberts had closed up properly."

Michelle turned back to the group. "Something is going on at this school."

"I'm calling my mom and getting the fuck outta here," Ricky said. "You know in horror movies, us black folk never make it!"

Tia nudged Ricky. "Shut up, Ricky. This isn't the time for that."

"This isn't a movie," Michelle told Ricky ominously. "This is reality."

They all looked up as a gangly redhead boy hurried to them. "Did you guys see that?" 

"Yeah, Greg," Coop said. "We saw it."

Greg shuddered. "Someone got Lucy. Us nerds are in for it."

"No worries, Greg," Coop told him. "You're a cool nerd. You'll make it."

Greg draped an arm around Michelle. "You gonna protect me, baby?"

Michelle forced a smiled. "You know I'll try." She gave him a brief kiss on the lips.

"Oh god!" Coop exclaimed. "All this mushy couple crap is too much to handle! I need to call Hunter." He winked. "We can keep each other safe and warm tonight."

The others forced a chuckle as Michelle slumped deeper into Greg's arms.

****

•••

Beth had seen the newscast. For Nathan's and everyone else's sake, she hoped Matthew would recover and be able to tell what went on in that warehouse. Now she looked over the texts and writings that she'd found in Lucy's room as Nathan slept nearby. The two of them had rented a room in a motel not far from the campus. She would've preferred a bed and breakfast, but that was far too personal. She looked at Nathan. He was gorgeous and she couldn't deny it.

She returned to one particularly old tome with delicate, faded pages. It had no copyright date, or a publisher for that matter. It was huge and ancient, like a necronomicon. The writing was a mixture of symbols and old English. However, it wasn't very difficult to decipher. She was simply skimming, until she came upon a part that she found very fascinating, yet disturbing.

It spoke of two ultimate evils. Each of them had many incarnations over the centuries, even before the printing of the book Beth had before her. Both of them lived as killers in each manifestation and thrived on the revenge of their human hosts. The similarities ended there. One, the Asmodion, usually worked through a family line for it's manifestations, resting for a while then re-emerging and going on a mindless killing spree as a new descendant. The Asmodion usually used a jealous host for its work. In several incarnations, the Asmodion took over the bodies of people who wanted just what they could not have, such as closeness with another human being, or another's success.

The other, Kali-khan, followed a different pattern. Like the Asmodion, it would embody a jealous and vengeful host. However, when the host was destroyed, the Kali-khan would re-emerge in the dreams of those it had unfinished business with. If the Kali-khan killed in the dream, then it's victim died in reality. The Kali-khan had been defeated many times by those understanding it's weaknesses. However, the slightest fear could reinvigorate it, and much later, it would follow the same pattern again.

The text stated that when the two were unleashed upon the world at the same time, It could pose a very serious threat to humanity. It would take an extreme, nearly God-like power to defeat them, if they didn't destroy one another first.

Beth sat back, taking it all in. The descriptions vaguely resembled the legends of Jason Voorhees and the Springwood Slasher. But it couldn't be. This book was far too old to be talking about them. 

She was about to pull out her laptop and copy the notes into her research when she noticed a torn sheet of paper sticking out from in between the pages of the book. She withdrew it and read it. It was in Lucy's handwriting.

_It wasn't difficult to pose as a scientist and steal the DNA of Voorhees from the Crystal Lake Research Facility._

Beth's eyebrows lifted. Crystal Lake Research Facility? Those damn jerks in Wessex told her that Crystal Lake did not exist! If it wasn't in Wessex, where the hell was it? She continued looking over Lucy's note.

_Matthew is a willing participant in the experiment. I have made him want me so much that he'd do anything to serve me. He was chosen specifically. He thinks he's just an apprentice, but he's more important than he really knows._

It ended there. Beth began to flip through the pages to see if there was more.

Nothing.

She pulled out the book that Lucy had used as her journal and continued to read as Nathan tossed and turned.

****

•••

Nathan didn't know where he was. He continued to walk though, down the dark, long corridor. The walls were stone, and looked as if they dripped with moisture. He could hear a faint creaking sound in the background. The air around him was very humid.

It was a dungeon of sorts.

"Nathan!"

He stopped short. Someone was calling his name. It was his brother.

"Matt!" Nathan screamed. "Matt, where are you!"

He followed the direction of Matthew's voice, turning the dark halls until he came to a cell, that looked as though it had no way to get in from where he stood. Beyond the bars, he saw Matthew standing straight against the wall, arms against his sides. Why wasn't Matt moving?

Nathan grabbed the bars, as if he could pull them off. "Matt! What the hell is going on?"

Upon closer inspection, Nathan saw that Matt wasn't standing, his feet hovered inches above the ground. It was like he was stuck to the wall. He slammed his hand against the bars, desperately seeking a way to get in. "Matt! Who brought you here?" he demanded.

Matthew opened his mouth to answer, but suddenly his body began to spin against the wall. It was a horrific sight, his body turned like a roulette wheel. Nathan screamed his brother's name over and over again.

He heard maniacal cackling. The sound seemed to have no visible source.

Nathan watched in helpless terror as Matt's body slowed, deliberately moving like the hand of a clock. Nathan could even hear ticking with every movement.

Childlike voices rose over the beat of the tick, beginning very low, then building momentum in a steady crescendo.

_"One, two, Freddy's coming for you . . . Three, four, better lock your door . . ."_

"Somebody help me!" Nathan cried to no avail.

_"Five, six, grab your crucifix . . . Seven, eight, gonna stay up late . . ."_

Matthew's face was like stone. He didn't seem to be cognizant at all. He was being controlled by something Nathan could not see.

_"Nine, ten, never sleep again . . ."_

"No!" Nathan screamed as flames suddenly rose from the ground and began to engulf the cell. Matthew returned to his former position.

The face appeared out of nowhere, right on the other side of the bars. "Want him? Come and get him!"

Nathan jumped back. The face was horribly burnt and wore the countenance of extreme evil.

He turned to run, bumping right into the man.

He grabbed Nathan by the neck and tossed him to the side as if he were a ragdoll.

Nathan got a full glimpse of the man. He wore a dark trench and his scalp was just as burnt as the rest of his face. Nathan's eyes widened in horror when he saw the blades that protruded from the man's right hand.

The stories were true. 

Nathan backed away.

The man grinned as he looked to the ground. "Almost forgot something." He bent down to retrieve a dirty brown fedora, which lay at his feet. He placed the hat on his head as the flames climbed higher in the cell. 

"You stay away from Matt," Nathan spat. 

The man laughed, stooping down on his haunches. "I need Matt."

"Why?"

"What would you do to find out?"

"Take me and let him go!"

The man laughed again. "How 'bout I take you now!"

He rose and lunged for Nathan.

****

•••

"Nathan! Wake up!" Beth hollered as she shook him.

"Matt!" Nathan screamed, abruptly sitting up in the bed and looking around. He was out of breath. His heart was racing and his chest heaved.

"Were you dreaming?" Beth asked, concerned.

"Yes," he answered, trying to catch his breath. "We need to go to the hospital! Now!"

"What's going on?"

"Matt's in trouble. Let's go!"


	3. Jason Makes His Rounds

Beth drove as fast as she could. "Are you sure it was him?" she asked Nathan.

"It was Matthew," he said breathlessly. "I know it was."

"And the man?"

"Krueger. I've heard enough about him to know who he is."

Beth shook her head. "Lucy did it."

"What?" Nathan asked.

"I was reading her notes. She used your brother in some kind of way to bring back Jason."

"Jason? Beth, what the hell are you talking about? The son of a bitch that has him is Freddy!"

"That's what I don't get," she continued. "Everything she wrote in her book was on bringing back the spirit of Jason Voorhees."

He eyed her suspiciously. Strange how all this was happening around the time that Beth was doing her research. "None of this makes sense," he said. 

"Jason is loose," Beth told him. "Those two kids that died at the wilderness store, both were decapitations. That's very characteristic of Voorhees."

He faced the windshield. "I don't wanna discuss this anymore. Just get me to Matt."

They arrived at Springlake General in record time, quickly making their way up to Matt's room. Nathan was about to hurry in when the door was suddenly slammed shut against him. He peered through the window.

Matthew's body was twitching and jumping as the medics tried to hold him down. He seemed to have no control over it. Nathan beat against the door. "Matthew!"

Suddenly a strong hand grabbed him by the elbow. Nathan whirled around to see the orderly Jeff. "Sorry, sir. You can't go in there."

"You can kiss my ass!" Nathan screamed.

"That's his brother!" Beth co-signed.

Jeff held up his hands in defense. "Sorry, Those are the rules. Dr. Sheridan is in there. Your brother will be okay." He guided the two of them to the waiting area. "Just be patient." Jeff was gentle, but firm.

Nathan and Beth settled onto one of the couches as Jeff walked away. Nathan was nervously wringing his hands. "I just can't sit here and wait for him to die."

Beth was silent. She didn't know what to say.

They both looked up expectantly as Dr. Sheridan and some medics exited Matthew's room. Nathan stood. "Is he okay?"

"Nathan, I'm glad you're here," said the doctor. "He's fine now. He just went into arrest, but we have everything under control. We need to move him to another room for observation."

"But he's still not awake," Nathan concluded.

"If you don't mind me asking," said the doctor. "What made you come to the hospital just as he was going into arrest?"

Nathan looked at Beth. "I had a hunch," he said. "We're very close. Is it okay if I see him?"

"Not just yet. Maybe after we move him."

"Can I stay all night?"

"Nathan, there are designated hours of--"

"Please. Maybe if I'm near him as much as possible, he'll wake up," Nathan said hopefully.

Sheridan finally folded. "That'll be just fine."

•Zero Hour•

The Hooded One surveyed the Demon Chamber. There were hundreds of them there, and they hibernated now. The vines that ran along the walls and throughout the chamber looked more like veins with the hot blood that flowed through them and fed the pods in which the spawn rested in their fetal positions. 

He'd already chosen the Asmodion and the Kali-khan as the ones that would fight to bring the world to him. They yielded extreme power and he knew that once they were both unleashed, the world was as good as his. In return, he would offer his dominion. Earth was so much nicer. It was something he yearned for. However, he knew that only one could win.

Now it was just a matter of one of them being called forth. At this stage, only a human in the other realm could open the gateway. Neither of the demons could enter the realm of their own free will.

Suddenly, the Asmodion's pod began to tremble, the blood inside of it churning. It was being called. A strong gust of wind filled the chamber, along with a sharp, radiant light that broke apart to show the other realm. The Asmodion was suddenly shot out of the pod and through the vines. It traveled at a rapid pace, its mass stretching the vine to its limits.

The Asmodion was spit out of the vine's opening, right at the bottom of the gateway, it's red, slimy form hitting the ground with a thump. The verses filled the chamber: _"Necro Asmod Rammellah! Necro Asmod Rammellah!"_ The Hooded One peered through the opening. The source of the chant was a meek girl in all black, passionately calling the demon forth with her arms raised above her head. 

The Hooded One looked down at the demon that crouched at the floor. "This time, I want the world! Give it to me and my dominion is yours!"

The demon crawled forth and was sucked into the gateway. 

The Hooded One acted fast. He hurried to the Kali-khan's pod and rammed his hand into its murky depths. He had to do it while the gateway was still open. He pulled the Kali-khan out by its neck. The demon released an animalistic roar as it was awakened, blood spewing from its mouth. He told the Kali-khan the same thing he told the Asmodion, adding, "The Asmodion is ahead of you. The two of you must battle for the supreme reward! Only one of you can win!"

The Kali-khan looked at him with fear in its eyes. Before it could utter a response, the Hooded One threw him into the opening just as the gateway was closing.

•The Present•

Rebecca Long pulled out her cellphone as soon as she stepped off of the train at the Springlake University stop. She dialed Gerald's number. She knew he would pick her up; it was late and his dorm was only five minutes away driving distance. Gerald's voice was thick with sleep when he answered. "Hello?"

"Honey, it's me," she said.

"Me who?"

"What the fuck do you mean, _me who? _It's Becky, you jerk! Do you have any other girls calling you?" she demanded as she stepped through the turnstile.

"I know it's you!" he said. "Good grief! Where are you?"

"I'm at the station, I need you to pick me up."

"Jeez, Becky! I wish you had told me this earlier! I have a big exam tomorrow."

Rebecca was infuriated. "So what! I just caught the last train back, it's late! I am not walking home! For godsakes, my roommate was just slaughtered! Show a little sensitivity!"

"Alright, alright! I'll be there shortly."

"Hurry!" She hung up and tucked the phone into her inside coat pocket.

Rebecca wrapped her scarf tight around her neck and made an attempt at zipping up her coat, but the zipper broke, falling to the snow. 'Shit!" she spat, and bent down to pick it up. As she did this, her phone rang. She knew it was Gerald calling back to either say he would be late, or try to get out of coming at all. Rebecca pulled out the phone and answered it irritably. "Gerald, I don't wanna hear your fucking excuses, it's late, it's dark and you are picking me up!"

"This isn't Gerald, bitch!" a low, gravelly voice said.

"Hello?"

"Hasn't anyone ever told you that cellphones fry your brain, Becky?"

"Who is this?" she demanded. "Gerald, this isn't funny!"

The line went dead.

She immediately dialed Gerald's number. It kept ringing until his answering service picked up. 

This was sooo not funny!

Rebecca was all alone. 

It was dark and cold, and there were no cars or people passing the station.

She tightened her coat around her body as the wind howled. "Gerald, hurry please," she said.

The phone rang again. She answered immediately. "Gerald?"

"How 'bout I reach out and touch ya!" the voice said.

A high static followed. The phone became extremely hot.

She tried to pull it away from her ear, but she couldn't.

It began to melt against her face.

She screamed.

and screamed some more until she blacked out. 

****

•••

There was a low rumbling beneath her body. She looked up. Lights were flashing.

Rebecca was back on the train.

But it was different.

She climbed to her feet, grabbing one of the poles for support.

She felt the side of her face. It still tingled, but there was no sign of what had happened earlier.

What the hell was going on?

She was the only one on board.

Rebecca ran to the one of the car windows. The train was going so fast, she could barely tell where she was.

"Hello!" she called. "Somebody help me!"

There was a crackling sound over the loud speaker. "Welcome aboard the Springlake Monorail!" the announcer said. "Next stop: Hell!"

Rebecca looked up when the lights flickered out. The train sped up.

She held on for dear life, her coat and light brown hair flailing out behind her. 

The landscape whirred by, but she noticed that it was dark red, fiery.

Grabbing the backs of the seats, she pulled herself towards the emergency break lever.

When she reached it, she used her elbow to break the glass.

She yanked the lever.

The train car screeched to a halt, throwing her backwards.

She slid across the floor, banging her head on the train wall.

All she could hear was her heart thumping, and her labored breathing.

She had to get off of this train.

The car doors opened, followed by the pleasant, automated female voice: "Doors opening."

Rebecca scrambled for the exit.

"Oh my god!" she whispered as a hot, gust of air invaded her lungs.

The sky was a burnt red as she'd earlier noted. There were hellish sienna mountains in the background, and there was nothing but flames beneath the elevated train track. The wind carried cries and roars of pain and agony.

She grabbed the guardrail as the train sped away.

She jumped and whirled around when she felt breath on the back of her neck.

Rebecca screamed.

It was him. She'd heard so many stories, none of which she believed.

He wore the dirty fedora. The red and green striped shirt under the dark trench coat.

And his face was burned as all to be damned.

His arm shot out and he grabbed her by the neck.

"Please," she begged. "Please don't kill me!"

He trailed one of his razor claws along her cheek, slowly, deliberately.

"Say it again!" he demanded.

"Please don't kill me, please!" she pleaded.

"Say it again!"

She cried out. "Noooo!"

Before she knew it, he had flipped her over the railing, down towards the fire. His laugh echoed in her ears as she fell.

****

•••

Rebecca hit the ice with a thump. Her eyes fluttered open. She saw the stars and the elevated train track up above. It was freezing.

It seemed like it had all been a dream.

Her head was throbbing. She tried to climb to her feet, but she slipped, falling back onto the ice.

She heard it cracking beneath her.

_Nooooooo!_

She tried again, but finally it gave, pulling her into the icy lake.

The freezing water immediately filled her lungs as she struggled for equilibrium.

When she was finally able to reach above the surface, she felt a hand grab hers . . . 

_Oh, thank God!_

The hand pulled her up and out of the frozen lake. She choked, coughing the water up as she crawled to her knees. 

Rebecca looked up, preparing to thank her savior.

And screamed for the last time that night.

All she saw was the chrome hockey mask. Then the machete swinging towards her face.

The last thing she heard was Krueger's voice:

"_A hockey mask. Wish I'd thought of that . . ." _

****

•••

Greg's home wasn't far from campus. Michelle still felt safe there, it was like the school had some kind of curse hanging over it. She felt even more safe when Coop, Hunter, Ricky and Tia decided to come over and keep her company as well. Strength in numbers was the idea. 

"Has anyone heard anything about Matt?" Hunter asked, bringing a tray of drinks and snacks into the living room where they'd all gathered in front of the television. 

They all gave assorted responses that they had not. They barely paid attention to the showing of _Halloween _that played on TV.

Hunter set the tray down. "Maybe if he woke up, he could tell everyone who killed Lucy, then the police would know who to look for if the same person killed Mickey and Angela." She settled down beside Coop.

"My parents are already coming to get me," Michelle told the others. "I cannot stay here."

"I hear that!" Ricky chimed in. He turned to Tia. "You comin' home wit' me, mami?"

Tia rolled her eyes. "Hmph! I might as well stay here."

There was a knock at the front door. Greg stood and headed for it. "I'll get it." He peered into the peephole and looked at everyone. "It's Gerald."

Greg opened the door and Gerald practically fell into his arms. "Becky!" he said breathlessly. 

Greg ushered the blond boy in. "What's wrong with Becky?"

"I've been at the police station all night. She's dead."

The kids gasped.

"Oh no," Michelle said. She instantly regretted everything bad thought she had about Rebecca that day.

"Dude, what happened to her?" Greg pressed.

Gerald was shaking. "She called me to pick her up from the train station. When I got there, she wasn't around, so I drove around for a while looking for her. I followed the track all the down by the lake, and there she was." He gulped. He'd been telling this story all night, but he still couldn't handle it. "On the ice . . . her . . . her head! Her head was on the fucking ice five feet away from her goddamn body!"

"She was decapitated?" Michelle asked. "Oh God!"

"That makes four," Coop said ominously.

"Well I won't be five!" Ricky exclaimed, jumping up. "Are you coming wit' me or not, Tia?"

Tia was about to respond when all of the electricity in the house went out. The girls screamed. 

"Shit!" Greg spat. "This is not good! I'm going to find the surge panel."

"Are you crazy?" Michelle asked. "What if someone is out there? Lemme go with you. I said I'd protect you, remember?"

"Michelle, I can handle it." 

"I'll go with you,' Ricky offered.

"I am not leaving you!" Michelle persisted.

"Fine!" Greg said. "The two of you come with me."

Ricky made his way over to them with only the moonlight filtering in from the blinds helping him along. The others moved closer together. Hunter did a head count and told them to make sure the number stayed that way.

Nearly ten minutes later, the lights came back on. Everyone sighed with relief. 

Then Michelle's bloodcurdling scream filled the house.

Hunter jumped up. "Michelle!" She hurried to the cellar with the others following her. Her feet pounded furiously against the steps. When she made it to the bottom she screamed too.

Michelle's body lay on top of Greg's, like they were making out. Only a spare poker from the fireplace protruded from her back. It went straight through her and into Greg.

"Where's Ricky?" Tia asked, her mouth agape. 

The door to the cellar hung open. Ricky was nowhere to be found.

****

•••

Beth was tired. She'd spent the entire night up with Nathan at the hospital. Matt was still in his coma. The doctors had no idea what was going on, but Nathan kept the faith. She was hungry and needed some coffee. She made her way down to the hospital cafe, her mind racing with thoughts of everything that was going on. She tried to piece it all together. 

Was Lucy the sole reason all these strange things were happening?

She sat down at a table across from two very proper looking gentlemen at their own table. One wore a stylish black pinstripe suit while the other wore black trousers and a cream colored sweater. They nursed their coffees carefully. Another newscast of the murders played on the television in the corner of the cafe. No developments since the last one. 

Beth sat back in her chair, savoring the warmth of the coffee. She'd hardly touched her danish.

"Have you chosen the one who would bring it to you?" The words of the gentleman in the sweater made its way to Beth's ears. She paid it no mind.

"I have narrowed it down to two. They each have extreme potential and power. I have not made my decision," said the one in the suit. "However, they are gaining in their own way as the years advance."

"How will you make your final decision?" asked the one in the sweater.

"I have set a goal," the other responded. "Only they do not realize it. They have, however, been working toward it for a while."

_Strange, _Beth thought. Were they talking about boxers or something?

She turned to look at them, but they were gone. It was like they'd never even been there; the coffee cups did not remain, neither did a tip. The chairs were tucked under the table and Beth hadn't heard them push them in.

She blinked, trying to get a grip on reality. This was not the time to go crazy.

She jumped when her cellphone rang. She answered it immediately, hoping it was her editor or someone she recognized from her normal life-- The way it was before she came to Springlake. "Hello?"

It was Hunter. She sounded like she'd been crying. "Beth?"

"Yes. What's wrong?"

"Michelle. She's . . . dead. And so is Becky!"

"Oh God."

"We're all at the police station. Please hurry!"


	4. Going Home

"Ricky didn't do it!" Hunter screamed to the detective, slamming her hand on his desk. 

"Then why did he escape?" Detective Moreno asked, maintaining his cool even though Hunter didn't.

"Because he was just as scared as the rest of us! Please don't put him down as wanted."

"We still need to look for him. He knows what happened in that cellar. So you all think this has something to do with Lucy Malloy?" Moreno's tight-lipped demeanor reminded Hunter of Agent Smith from _The Matrix. _

"Yes," she said. "Someone or some_thing _is picking us off! Five people died today! What's taking you sons of bitches so long to get this fucker?"

"You can leave now, Miss Green."

"This isn't the first time something like this has happened here, is it?" Hunter demanded.

Moreno narrowed his eyes at her. "What do you mean?"

"I think you know exactly what I mean."

"Please leave, Miss Green. Before I get pissed."

She left his office in a huff to join the others, who'd already been questioned. By that time Beth had already arrived. Hunter leaned on the chair Coop sat in and looked at Beth. "That detective is a son of a bitch."

"Can you blame him?" Tia asked. "He looks like he's been up for a week."

"We've kept him pretty busy tonight," Gerald chimed in. 

"So what happened?" Beth asked.

"There was a power outage," Hunter said, claiming leadership as she had since this whole thing started. "Michelle, Greg, and Ricky went down to the cellar to check it out. When the lights came back on, Michelle and Greg were dead and Ricky was gone."

"Do they think your friend Ricky did it?" Beth asked.

They all nodded.

"Ricky had already said he was leaving," Tia said. "I don't blame him. I just hope he's okay."

Hunter took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "That detective is hiding something."

"What do you mean?" Beth asked. 

Coop looked up at Hunter. "Hunter, don't start that shit. Are you crazy?"

"Coop, we can't keep pretending that this town doesn't have secrets!"

Beth was riveted. "What do you mean, Hunter?"

"I've heard things," Hunter said. "Terrible things but I wouldn't believe them."

"What?" Beth pressed.

"This isn't the first time kids have fallen prey to a serial killer in this town."

"Beth, shut up!" Coop screamed. Tia folded her arms tightly and looked away from the confrontation while Gerald seemed to fall apart even more.

Beth pulled her to the side, not far from the front desk. "What are you talking about?"

Hunter was trying to keep her breath steady. "It's gonna sound crazy because it's exactly what you're writing about. A long time ago, this town was wiped clean of all the kids by a killer named Freddy Krueger, the motherfucker that wouldn't die!" she whispered.

"Hunter, no," Beth said, as she thought of the dream Nathan had.

The short, fat and balding desk sergeant looked up at the both of them. "Krueger?' he said. "What in the name of God do you know about Krueger, young lady?"

They both turned to him. "What do _you _know, sir?" Hunter demanded.

The sergeant's voice was ominous. "A lot more than I want to. I nearly got fired for it. Come with me. By the way, I'm Sergeant Barnes."

Barnes had another officer cover for him as he made his way to a file room that was free of personnel. "The only reason I'm showing you this is because these killings could have something to do with him." He unlocked and opened a dusty file cabinet. He pulled out a heavy folder and placed it in Beth's hands. "There's everything I could save: Coroner's reports, news clippings, profiles, everything."

Beth sat down in a nearby chair. The file was too heavy for her to stand with it. "What do you mean _save?" _she asked.

Barnes was silent for a moment. Then, "You ever hear of the Springwood Gentrification Project?" he asked.

"No," Beth responded.

"It happened decades ago. The name of this town used to be Spring_wood."_

Beth gasped. "So everything in here refers to the Springwood Slasher?"

Barnes nodded. "Sure does. After Krueger nearly wiped this town's teenage population out, this company came in and tore everything down, renaming the town. They built a monorail system, a university, and made like everything was perfect all over again. It was no longer a ghost town and everyone was happy. Almost every file here referring to him was destroyed, except what I could salvage. The people that bought property were told not to say anything about what had gone on before, so eventually it all passed into legend. Say anything about it now and folks think you're crazy. 

"I was the only one that believed the kids," Barnes continued, "when they said that Krueger never died, that he was visiting them in their dreams. At first I didn't, but the pattern kept repeating itself. I pursued it everytime and that made the force very unhappy. So I was demoted to desk sergeant."

"So there is an Elm Street?" Beth asked.

"Absolutely, only it's Oak Street now."

"Oak Street?" Hunter said. "That's where the warehouse is! The one where they found Lucy!"

"1427 Elm Street," Barnes said. "It was the first thing that they tore down so many years ago. That house was a curse; the kids said it was Freddy's house. They built a warehouse there and it almost covers the whole block. They were trying to erase the house from everyone's memory."

Beth flipped through the file. The coroner's report's were grisly. There were deaths that plainly suggested that the victims were slashed or stabbed with four blades simultaneously, but there were deaths associated with them, the deaths of friends which were much more strange and mysterious. One victim, a Debbie Porter, was crushed, almost like a bug; Jennifer Caulfield, a patient at the Westin Hills Psychiatric Hospital, was found with her head embedded in a mounted television; Kristen Parker was burned to death; Greta Phillips had consumed large quantities of food and choked to death. The list went on and on. 

"Could Krueger really be the one behind this?" Hunter asked.

Beth looked her squarely in the eye. "Nathan had a dream that Krueger was keeping Matthew captive. When he and I went back to the hospital, Matt had gone into cardiac arrest."

"Oh no," Hunter muttered.

"And stranger than that, the spirit that Lucy wrote about in her journal is Jason Voorhees. All of the murders so far match what I've heard about Voorhees. I think they're both loose . . . somehow." Beth turned to Barnes. "Ever hear of Crystal Lake Research Facility?"

"No," Barnes said. "And I can definitely tell you there's no such thing as Jason. If these killings match his style, then it may just be a copycat."

"How can you be so sure?" Hunter asked.

"There is no Jason. That, my dear, really is a legend."

****

•••

It had begun to snow by the time Ricky was fifteen miles out of Springlake, now it was snowing harder. He drove as fast as he could without skidding, trying his best to see through the white.

The rest of them could sit around in that town and wait to die all they wanted, but he would not be the one. He would be the one that had actually seen the killer and lived to tell about it.

Whoever the bastard was, he was either pretending to be Jason, or he really was. The hockey mask said it all. He'd been able to escape the cellar before meeting his death. Michelle and Greg hadn't been so lucky.

He feared for Tia's life. But he feared for his own even more. 

His Chevy suddenly chugged and slowed to a stop.

_Not fucking now! _

He tried to start it again, turning the ignition to no avail.

_Fuck!_

He got out and walked over to the front of the car. He brushed the falling flakes from his eyelashes as he checked under the hood. 

Maybe it was the weather, but the Chevy was as good as dead.

He slammed the hood down in frustration and kicked the car. 

Ricky noticed headlights approaching from the distance and waved the car down. 

It was a police cruiser.

_Just my fucking luck!_

The cop car slowed to a stop and two officers got out. The chunky officer swaggered over to him. "Havin' trouble, young man?"

"My car is dead," Ricky said. 

"Where ya headed to?"

"Home."

"You live in Springlake?"

"I go to school there, but I'm going home."

"You in some kinda rush?"

"What's with all the questions?" Ricky asked, exasperated.

The officer smirked. "Help me and I'll help you."

"Hey, Forbes!" the thin officer called to his chunky partner. "That's the kid."

Forbes turned to the other officer. "What kid?"

"He's wanted. He just killed two students, possibly five."

Forbes looked back at Ricky. "Oh yeah." He pulled the cuffs from his hip. "Sorry, son, I gotta take you with us."

Ricky shook his head. "No. I can't go back to that town! There's a fucking killer loose!"

Forbes stepped forward. "I understand and as soon as we make certain it's not you, then you're free to go _home."_

****

•••

Hunter was half asleep in the passenger seat of Beth's truck. They were on their way to the Malloy house. Beth had stopped at her room and picked up Lucy's writings to take with her.

"Hunter!" Beth said. "Wake up! Are you crazy?"

Hunter yawned. "Beth, _this _is crazy! Do you know what time it is? Dr. Malloy is gonna roast us for waking her up this time of night."

"Just tell me I'm going the right way," Beth said impatiently.

Hunter strained to see through the falling snow. "It's hard to tell. I guess you're going the right way."

Beth rolled her eyes. "You guess? Thanks a lot, Hunter."

They pulled up in front of the Malloy home shortly after. It was a large sprawling estate. The Malloys were loaded. Both of Lucy's parents were scientists. Beth had a hunch they'd know the mystery of Crystal Lake Research Facility.

"Are you sure you're not just doing this for your book?" Hunter asked as she rang the doorbell.

Beth was offended. "I promised Nathan I would help him, and it makes no sense for these students to keep dying."

Hunter gave her a crooked smile. "You like him, don't you?"

Beth didn't answer.

Charlene Malloy opened the door with a Martini in hand. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"Hi, Dr. Malloy," Hunter said. "My name is Hunter Green and this is Beth. I know it's late, but maybe you can help us."

"What do you want?" the woman demanded. She was half drunk and deprived of sleep.

"Lucy went to school with us."

Dr. Malloy tried to shut the door, but Beth held her hand out. "Please, Dr. Malloy, there are other kids dying."

"I can't talk about Lucy anymore!" Dr. Malloy said. She leaned against the doorknob for support. "I can't! Please go away!"

"Dr. Malloy," Beth continued. "Your daughter knew things that could probably help us get a little closer to the truth. We can't waste another moment while people are dying."

Dr. Malloy gave in, opening the door wider and letting them inside. "Have a seat. Can I offer you a drink?"

"That won't be necessary," Beth answered for the both of them. The three of them sat down. The place screamed money. Everything was maghogany, crystal, and lace. Beth opened to an entry in Lucy's journal. "I need you to read that, Dr. Malloy."

The woman didn't really feel like reading, but she obliged. When she was through, she placed the book down on the coffee table. "I guess there's a lot I never knew about her."

"Your daughter was into dark magic and science," Beth said. "She ressurected a killer, possibly the one who killed her."

"I always wanted my daughter to pursue science, I thought the magic shit was just a phase."

"She mentions Crystal Lake Research Facility in the entry. Do you know anything about that place, or even if it exists?" Beth asked.

Dr. Malloy looked away from her. She wasn't interested in answering the question. 

Beth leaned in. "What do you know?"

"It's the top secret lab where her father and I work."

"Where is it?"

"It wouldn't be top secret if I told you."

Beth was impatient. "Is there a Crystal Lake or not?"

Dr. Malloy shot up. "You wanna know where it is? I'll show it to you!"

****

•••

"This is ridiculous!" Ricky exclaimed from the backseat of the police cruiser.

"Would I be rude if I told you to shut up?" Forbes asked as he drove. "I've been nice so far, young man."

"I'm trying to tell you that you're wasting your time with me," Ricky said. "You should be out there looking for Jason Voorhees!"

The two cops chuckled from the front. "Jason Voorhees?" the skinny one, Styles, asked. "Are you college kids still huffing?"

Ricky groaned in frustration as the car surged through the snow. "Look at _this _motherfucker!" Forbes suddenly exclaimed and slammed on the brakes. 

Ricky followed their gaze through the windshield and his breath stopped short.

Voorhees stood in the middle of the snowy road, his chrome mask gleaming in the headlights.

"That's him!" Ricky exclaimed.

"Who?" asked Styles.

"The motherfucker that killed my friends! _He's _the one you need to arrest!"

The two officers looked at each other. "I got him," Forbes said, starting to exit the vehicle.

"He's dangerous," Ricky warned. 

"He's not even armed," Forbes said, then went to confront the man.

"If I were you," Ricky told Styles, "I'd pull off."

Styles ignored him.

Forbes swaggered over to Voorhees. "Any reason why you're standing in the path of a moving car?" he asked.

Voorhees was silent.

"Hey! I'm talking to you! You got a death wish or sumthin'?"

Again, silence from Voorhees.

Forbes stepped closer and pounded on the mask. "Hey! Are you retarded or sum--"

The killer's hand suddenly shot out and grabbed Forbes by the neck. 

"Oh shit!" Styles exclaimed. He exited the car and aimed his gun at Voorhees. "Put him down or else, motherfucker!"

From the backseat, Ricky could see that both of the officers were about to die. He searched for a way out, but he knew it was in vain. The backdoors could only unlock from the outside and a plate of metal mesh separated the backseat from the front. 

He was stuck.

Voorhees regarded Styles for a moment.

"I said put him down!" Styles screamed again.

Voorhees obliged by swiftly lifting his leg and bringing Forbes's spine down on his thigh, nearly snapping the officer in half. He came for Styles.

Styles immediately began to fire. "Stay back!" He ran around to the back of the car.

Inside, Ricky ducked behind the seat. He didn't know if Voorhees had seen him, but if he hadn't, he did not want to draw attention to himself.

Voorhees stopped, seemingly bored with chasing the cop. As he stood there, Styles fired bullet after useless bullet. His gun finally ran out. Styles looked at his gun, then at Voorhees; he couldn't believe this was happening. The bullets had no effect on the motherfucker!

He dropped the gun and took off.

He didn't get very far. In a flash, Voorhees was before him. Styles didn't have time to think of the impossibility of it. The killer lifted him up, briskly carrying him over to a nearby oak. Styles tried frantically to pry the gloved hand from his neck, his legs dangling. Voorhees then slammed his elbow down on a thick limb of the oak. Before Styles could struggle anymore, Voorhees brought his midsection down on the sharp, broken limb, impaling Styles until the other end poked from his guts.

He left the officer for dead, advancing for the car.

_Oh shit! _Ricky thought when he heard the driver's side door open. He held his breath, praying to God that Voorhees wouldn't kill him. 

His heart jumped when he heard Voorhees banging against the mesh that separated the two of them. Then he stopped.

Ricky was going crazy. What was Voorhees doing? 

He felt a small glimmer of hope. If Jason knew he was inside, he would've opened the door to the backseat, right? Ricky prayed that the suspicion was true.

Even more baffling: This fucker could _drive?_

Voorhees then floored it, speeding off into the distance and crushing Forbes's body in the process.

He was going home.

****

•••

Beth couldn't tell how far they had gone. Dr. Malloy had guided her through many winding roads in the blinding snow. They seemed to be miles from Springlake now. Despite the circumstances, the scenery was beautiful with the white snow drifts bordering the road and the large pines that protruded majestically from the ground.

Malloy instructed her stop at a brick one story structure surrounded by a tall high voltage fence.

"This can't be it," Beth said.

"Yes it is," Dr. Malloy said, fully sober now. "Let's go."

Beth slapped Hunter's knee. The girl had fallen asleep in the back of the truck. "Come on, Hunter!" Beth said.

The two of them followed the doctor's lead. Malloy used a special key to bypass the gate, then the three of them advanced to the building. Malloy swiped a card and entered what seemed to be a ten digit code on the panel and the large metal doors opened, like those of an elevator.

They were on the other side before another car pulled up. It was a police cruiser.

Voorhees exited the driver's side, promptly opening the door to the back.

Ricky screamed as Voorhees yanked him out by the collar. 

"Come on, man, please don't kill me, man! Please!" Ricky sobbed.

Voorhees gave it no thought. He rose the boy's body high in the air and threw him against the fence. 

Ricky's body sizzled against the high voltage metal for a number of seconds before finally falling to the ground and trembling for the last time.

Now Voorhees looked at the fence that loomed up ahead of him.

It was tall, probably about thirty-six feet.

One leap and Voorhees was on the other side.

****

•••

"This is it," Dr. Malloy told the two girls, gesturing to the body that lay inside one of the transparent drawers of the cryo-lab. "That's the body of Jason Voorhees."

They were in the basement of the lab. Only one level of the facility was above ground, but as the three of them descended down in the elevator, Beth saw that it was about five levels.

She could barely look at the body. It was covered by a sheet, but the face wasn't. The lab had removed the mask and what they saw was horrific. The skin was horribly decayed and uneven. One side of his face seemed to droop lower than the other.

Hunter suppressed the bile that was beginning to rise in her throat.

"That's gross," she said.

"He was caught a long time ago," the doctor began. "The government knew about him and wanted him stopped. After he was finally captured and killed, they sent the body over here so we could find out how he was able to survive so much. Every angle we've pursued has proven to be inconclusive, and we've had the son-of-a-bitch for almost two decades."

Beth was amazed. "Then whatever that is that Lucy wrote about--"

"She stole his DNA somehow," Malloy said. "She's come with me here many times. Maybe she did it while I wasn't looking or she pretended to be me one day and did it. Either way, Lucy was no dummy; I've punched that code a million times in front of her."

Beth began to piece it together. "So she stole his DNA, merged it with another body and called his spirit. She alluded to that in what she wrote." Then Beth had an idea. "Maybe after the spell took, the spirit recognized Jason's DNA and began to re-form into the body that it was familiar with."

"That would make sense," the doctor said with a grin, adding, "if magic were real."

Hunter spoke up. "So if there's no Crystal Lake, why is this lab named after it?"

"Everything you've ever heard of happened here. This was Camp Crystal Lake, until the gentrification project took over."

Beth was confused. "Wait a minute, I thought they only re-named Springwood."

"So you've already heard? It's true. The project stretched from there to here. They re-named the whole area Springlake. In fact, the name of this lab isn't even Crystal Lake Research Facility anymore, we just refuse to call it anything else since it's sole purpose is to figure out what makes this guy tick." Malloy gestured to Jason's enclosed body. "Forget whatever you heard about Massachusetts."

"Funny," Beth said. "The cop at the station didn't tell us that."

"This town is all about secrets. No one's really from here. We all chose to look the other way since everything seemed to be improving when we moved here. Of course, some of us knew better, and there are still some of us that have our little obsessions. I refuse to believe that Freddy shit. This here is real."

The doctor was about to say something else when the alarm sounded throughout the building.

Malloy rushed over to the security monitors. She saw the figure in one of the halls of the top level.

"Oh shit," she said.

"What?" the girls asked.

Malloy looked at them. "He's here."


	5. Capture of Voorhees/Release of Krueger

Beth eyed the monitor in horror, then turned to the doctor. "We're not the only ones in the building, are we?" she asked, not even wanting to hear the answer.

Malloy nodded solemnly. "We have to get out of here."

"Are there any other exits?" Hunter asked. 

Malloy stared at the monitor. "Plenty, but they're all at the top. He was at the top, but-" She used the control panel to joggle through the camera views. "I can't tell where he is now."

"Let's go!" Beth screamed.

"Maybe we should stay here," Hunter said. "If we make any moves, we might cross his path."

Malloy returned to the monitors. "The only way to know where he is by the . . ." Her face formed a grimace. "Monitors."

"Oh shit!" Hunter spat. All of the views suddenly began to blink out, as if the killer was yanking every camera. "How is he moving so fast?"

"We don't have time for that!" Beth screamed. "Let's get the hell outta here!"

They exited the cryo-lab, it's large metal door slamming to the floor behind them. Malloy ran to the right, the girls not far behind her. "Every corner of the lab has an elevator," she said breathlessly as they ran down the sterile, brightly lit hall, "The only trick is choosing the right one." They stopped at a set of elevator doors and she pressed the up button.

Nothing seemed to be happening. No lights, no nothing.

"You mean one that works, right?" Hunter quipped.

"That son of a bitch!" Beth gasped.

"The stairwell," Malloy said, and ran farther down the hall. "We do have one advantage," she told them.

"What's that?" Beth asked.

"This entire lab is booby-trapped for Voorhees. It was built that way just in case that thing in the cryo-lab decided to wake up." They came to a large steel door and hurried in. The stairwell was dimly lit. The metal stairs loomed above them. They looked like so much work.

The three sets of feet pounded up, the doctor leading with Beth and Hunter close behind. 

Before they knew it, they had covered three floors. Malloy huffed and puffed. "Okay, two more."

"Shit!" Hunter screamed as she lost her footing and stumbled forward.

Beth looked behind her. "Hunter!"

Hunter climbed back up. "I'm okay."

They turned another bend to follow the next set of stairs. 

It all happened in a flash. The cover of an overhead airvent came crashing down. Beth and the doctor looked behind them as two gloved hands reached down and grabbed Hunter by the hair, pulling her up into the airduct. "Hunter!" Beth screamed, trying to reach for the girl. But it was too late; Hunter had gone up fast.

Hunter's scream was followed by blood flowing from the opening. 

Beth stood there, watching in horror. "Noooo!"

"Come on!" the doctor screamed, grabbing Beth and pulling her as she ran.

The blood dripped from every subsequent vent, like Voorhees was dragging her body through the duct. 

They finally came to the last door. Malloy turned to Beth. "Here goes." She pushed the door open and peered into the hall. Nothing. "Let's go."

They ran out into the hall. The exit all the way at the end of the corridor that bended to the right. There were five doors on each side of the hallway. In each space on the wall between the doors was a large red button. 

He could come from anywhere.

They were halfway down the hall when one of the doors on the left swung open and a large metal pipe came crashing down towards Malloy's head. Beth screamed as the doctor ducked. It got her in the shoulder. 

She faced Voorhees for the first time since being in Springlake. He was huge, hulking and pissed. The hockey mask gleamed. He swung for them again as they ran.

"The button!" Malloy screamed. "On the wall!"

Malloy broke away from her and slammed her fist into one of the red buttons on the left wall. 

What looked like an oversized glass cylinder came crashing down from the ceiling, right in front of Voorhees. It began to fill with a clear liquid. He seemed to eye it quizzically for a split second, then kept advancing to them.

Beth noticed his sluggish walk. Yet everytime she looked away from him and looked back, he seemed to be closer. She slammed her hand against another button, directly opposite of the one Malloy pressed. Another cylinder came crashing down, missing Voorhees once again. It filled with the clear liquid.

He was onto them. He stayed against the wall, coming ever closer.

There was only one left and the doctor knew it. "Go!" she told Beth.

"But-" Beth started.

"Just get the fuck outta here!"

Beth made herself scarce as the doctor looked Voorhees squarely in the eye. "Come on, you fucker!"

Voorhees took large, deliberate steps toward her. When he was just close enough, he swung the pipe. The doctor was quick, jumping to the side and slamming her good shoulder into another red button.

The glass cylinder came crashing down, finally enclosing Voorhees this time. He swung his weapon in a vain attempt to break the glass of the booth. The booth began to fill with the liquid, starting at his feet and quickly rising. Voorhees looked around for a way out.

He struggled until the level of the liquid rose above his head. The doctor watched for a while, making certain he didn't make another move.

She hurried around the corner, screaming as she bumped into Beth. "I thought you were waiting for me out front," she said.

"I had to make sure it would work," Beth said, catching her breath. "What's inside that tank?"

"It's a liquid similar to nitrus oxide."

"Will it kill him?"

"If it doesn't he'll be sedated for a while."

"We have to let the police know."

"No!" the doctor said.

Beth's eyes widened. "No?"

"They'll roast me if they find out my daughter was responsible for this! I'll lose my fucking license!"

"So what are you going to do?"

"I'll take care of it. You need to get the hell out of town!"

The doctor lead her out. Beth couldn't believe her partner Hunter was dead. She'd been helping her since she'd come. "I hope you don't plan to cover up what happened to Hunter," she said to Malloy, who was massaging her shoulder.

The doctor nodded wearily. "I'll think of something and call the cops _myself, _understood?"

"I hope so."

The doctor opened the outer gate for her. Beth shrieked when she was on the other side.

Ricky's charred body lay at her feet.

****

Fifteenth Century England

When it came, no one expected it, especially not Luke the Apprentice. It was something that further confirmed that he was involved in something he really shouldn't have been. He stood before the Master's temple as the town faced him, torches in hand. The Master was evil, and anyone associated with him was evil as well, and therefore should be put to death. There was no appeasing the mob; it had it's collective mind set on destroying Luke, the Master and the Master's temple. They screamed declarations of evil, the Devil, and ridding the town and the world of it. 

The town was under attack because of it.

Whatever the Master had released was slowly murdering the town's people.

Luke the Apprentice knew the Master was evil and responsible. However, he was devoted. He was there to serve the Master, and protect the Master even when it meant his own demise.

He was passionate as he defended the Master, trying to keep the angry mob at bay. It was all a lie. 

Dealing with the Master taught him of spirits and demons, making him understand evil in it's truest, purest form. The experience also provided a mirror effect. It lead him to believe the greater good as well. Everything required a balance and there was no evil without good and vice versa.

The tears that streamed from his cheeks were the evidence of this belief.

The blood that suddenly flowed from his hands and feet proved it even more, as his body broke into a sudden spasm.

The women of the town screamed as the mob backed away.

Suddenly there were cries of the stigmata.

Luke crumbled to the ground. Everything was a blur. He soon blacked out.

****

•••

Luke awakened on a thin, springy mattress. A matronly woman of the cloth stood over him. "You're awake," she whispered as she made the sign of the cross. She hurried to the doorway of the candlelit room. "Father Craven, he's awake!" She came back to the bed, leaning over him. "Are you alright, my child?"

Luke surveyed his surroundings. "I think I am. Where am I?"

The priest came in before he could get an answer. "He's disoriented," the nun told the priest. "We have to tell him what happened, Father Craven."

Craven knelt by the bed. "Do you remember anything?"

"Of course I do," Luke said quickly. "I stood on the steps of my master's quarters a little while ago." By God, he wasn't inebriated! Everything was very clear. "Then it happened. Stigmata? How can that be?" 

The nun and the priest looked at one another. "A little while ago?" asked Craven. "Son, that was over half a year ago."

Luke abruptly sat up. "Half a year! What do you mean?"

"Your eyes have been closed all this time. But by the grace of God you have awakened," Craven told him.

"Half a year?" Luke asked again.

Craven nodded. "Yes, my child. Your master has since been executed. But whatever was released is still here."

Luke sank back into to pillow. "What have you been keeping me for?"

"We had to watch over you," the nun offered. "You are the only one that can stop _it."_

"You have seen this demon's power," the father added. "You know your master's work. You've also been chosen."

"Chosen? By God?" Luke asked. Is that why he began bleeding so profusely?

They both nodded to confirm his suspicion. 

"But I can't," Luke objected. The master had been executed?

"You have to," Craven told him. "This thing, this evil demon, diminished the people of our town to but a few. We thought we had it, but . . ." His words trailed off.

"But what?" Luke demanded.

"We thought we killed it. But it's back. It kills in our dreams."

Luke shut his eyes, he was horrified. The master has been right. The Kali-khan had come back in people's nightmares. How does one kill such a thing?"

"We're begging you!" the nun said with emotion. "Please! Stop it!"

Luke looked into their eyes. His master was gone. He'd apparently been called for this duty. There was no one left to serve but God. 

"I need water," he told them. "I am very thirsty."

The nun rushed to grant his request.

"Will you stop the suffering?" the priest begged. 

"I can do it," Luke said. 

****

The Present

Matt slumped against the stone wall. He was cold. This place was hot, but he was very cold. But he couldn't awaken from this dream, he refused to. He knew what Krueger would do once he woke up. 

He could not let that happen.

He jumped when he heard the steel blades glide along one of the walls. Krueger was here. But Matt wasn't really scared. He had it all figured out. Krueger could not kill him while he slept. If he did, Krueger would be trapped in oblivion. That's why Matt had to stay asleep. If he woke up . . . Oh, the thought was too much to bear.

"Matthew . . ."the guttural voice called in a nearly sing-song voice. 

A split second had passed before the burned face was before him. "Matthew!"

Matt looked at him, and spit in his face.

Krueger chuckled, not even bothering to wipe away the spit. "Sweet little piggy."

"Fuck you!" Matt said.

Krueger grabbed him by the neck. "Let me out," he snarled.

"Why don't you just kill me?" Matt challenged.

Krueger looked stuck for a moment, surprised that Matt had caught on. "I need you." Suddenly he threw Matt against the floor. "Let me out!" he roared. 

"No!" Matt screamed. "You won't hurt another soul if I have anything to do with it."

Krueger laughed "People are just practice. I've moved on to bigger and better things. So LET ME OUT!"

He advanced for Matt, grabbing him and slamming him against the floor again. Smacking him around and doing as much damage as he could, all the while screaming for him to let him out. Weary and bruised, Matt wouldn't let his will fail him. He could see that Krueger was frustrated now, not being able to simply kill him. 

"I see that this will be harder than I thought," Kruger said. He grabbed Matt's right hand and poised his claw above his fingers. "Let me out!"

Matt shook his head, knowing what Kruger was about to do yet still refusing.

"This little piggy went to the market!" Kruger said, then sliced off half of Matt's index finger. Blood spurted everywhere. The boy screamed. "This little piggy stayed home!" Another bloody part of a finger dropped to the ground. Still, Matt refused. "This little piggy had roast beef!" Another finger and a wail from a dizzy Matt. He tried to catch his breath. Everything was fuzzy. His mind was trying to leave this consciousness, It was becoming increasingly difficult to hold on. "This little piggy had none!" Part of his pinky went flying. 

Krueger was ready for the thumb. "Let me out!" 

Tears were streaming down Matt's cheeks. he couldn't take it anymore. Krueger let his body drop and laughed. "Thanks a lot, Matt!"

"Noooooo!" Matt screamed.

****

•••

Nathan jumped from his sleep at Matthew's bedside when he heard his brother scream. He held Matt down, who was awake, but was thrashing about wildly. "Matt!" Nathan screamed.

Matt regarded him in horror, then for some reason held up his right hand and stared at it. 

"You're awake!" Nathan said.

Matt shook his head. "Nathan. No! He's out! I let him out!"

"What? Matt, who are you talking about?"

"Krueger," he said meekly.

Nathan looked at him silently for a moment. "But it was just a dream."

"No. He had me, you saw it! But I let him out by waking up! That's why I stayed out for so long."

If he hadn't witnessed so many strange things lately, Nathan would've sworn his brother was mad. Now he looked around the hospital room, as if expecting Krueger to jump out from anywhere.

Matt rocked in the bed. "I can still hear him laughing. I don't know where he is, but he's out there."

"Then we gotta go."

"It doesn't matter how far you run," Matt said ominously. "He can still get to you."

"That girl Lucy did this?" Nathan asked.

"She didn't mean to."

"What the hell do you mean she didn't _mean _to?"

Matt gulped. "She was trying to bring back Jason Voorhees. But Freddy came with him."

"So who killed Lucy?"

"Voorhees."

"The police will never believe this."

They both looked up as Dr. Sheridan entered. "You've recovered," he said to Matt.

"Yes. And I gotta go."

"Not so fast. We need to run some tests first."

"But you don't understand," Nathan said.

The doctor turned to Nathan. "I'm sorry, but we just can't release him from the hospital. He has to stay at least a couple more days." The brothers looked at one another and the doctor continued. "You should really go home and get some rest, Nathan. You're brother's recovered now so you really don't need to hang around."

Nathan almost protested, but he gave up. "Please keep an eye on him," he said.

"We will," the doctor assured.

Just as he was leaving the hospital room, he saw Beth running towards him. He stopped her by grabbing her arms. "Beth, what happened?"

"He's real. I saw him."

"Krueger?"

"Voorhees. But he got Hunter!"

"Hunter's dead?"

Beth nodded. 

Nathan looked back at Matt's hospital room. How would they be able to tell him that all of his friends were dying?

"Do the police know?" he asked.

"Hopefully," was Beth's answer. "How's Matt?"

"Well, he recovered."

Beth brightened a little. "That's great. Now we can leave, right?"

"What?" Nathan asked, giving Beth a quizzical look.

"I mean, I promised I'd stay here until your brother came to, but now we can go, right?"

"Beth, listen to me. Lucy brought back Voorhees like you said, but Krueger got loose also."

She was out of breath. Her suspicion was true. "What?"

"Matt was in a coma because somehow, Krueger was stuck in his consciousness and he's been dreaming the whole time." Nathan knew that even as he said it, it sounded foolish. "But now that he's recovered he said that Krueger is loose. We have to stop him. And Voorhees."

"We may have Voorhees for a while." Beth briefly recounted what had happened at the lab. "But I have no idea what Malloy is gonna do." She was praying that the doctor would put science aside and just kill the thing if it woke up.

"She has to account for Hunter's death somehow," Nathan said. "The police-"

"This town is fucking brainwashed, Nathan. All the cops will do is tell us we're crazy and to leave town, which doesn't sound like such a bad idea right now."

"No, Beth," he told her. "If anyone knows how to fix this," he looked to Matt's room again, "it's him. Between the three of us and what Lucy wrote down, I think we can stop this."

"Us?" she said, before falling into his arms.

She hadn't had any sleep all night.


	6. Confrontation

Tia held Coop close. They had never been really close in their circle of friends. Tia usually clung to Michelle and Coop was the "love" of Hunter's life as he saw it. But now it seemed as though they needed each other. 

The eight black and white photos were spread across the table at the head of the Union. Lucy Malloy, the girl nobody really cared for but now everyone missed; Mickey Roberts, just a regular guy that was working his way through school like most of them; Angela Smith, his sweet girlfriend; Rebecca Long, the girl with attitude who was perhaps the cruelest of all to Lucy; Michelle Gross, nice and quiet with a common concern for everyone; Greg Foster, her somewhat nerdy boyfriend; Ricky Tucker, a clown in the same vein as Coop but with an edge; and Hunter Green, eternally gorgeous and resourceful, she usually held the group together along with her boyfriend Coop. 

Now it was just the four of them, Tia, Coop, Gerald and Matt who was still in the hospital.

Even as she held Coop's hand for support, Tia knew she was as good as dead. Before the student vigil, Beth and Nathan had briefed the remaining three on what was happening. It was a truth that they couldn't bear to hear. It was far-fetched, yet it made sense.

But _eight _deaths, most within a twenty-four hour period? 

The PD was up in arms. 

The five of them gathered in the blustery courtyard. Until further notice, the university was shut down. Many students were heading home. Tia would as well in due time, but she understood the far-reaching danger of what was happening.

No one could escape dreams. There was no way.

Beth was puffing on a cigarette. She'd been through a lot. 

"My first suggestion," she said to the students, "Get as far away from this town as you possibly can. I know it may seem futile, but it's the most you guys can do. At the very least, you won't have Voorhees to worry about."

"But Freddy?" Coop asked. "God I wish I'd listened to Hunter."

They were silent for a moment, then Beth offered, "There was something in Lucy's journal, about how Matt was more important than he knew. I just need to figure out a way to use that and put a stop to all this."

"But Lucy is the only one that knows what that means," Nathan said. "And she's dead."

"What she wrote is our last hope. If we can get Matt--" Beth was interrupted by her ringing cellphone. "Hello?" she answered. "Dr. Sheridan?" Nathan looked up as Beth continued. "Missing? How in the hell does _that _happen? I thought you guys were keeping an eye on him!" Nathan tried to grab the phone from her, but she stopped him. "I don't think you want either of us to be there! Find him!" She furiously ended the call and gave Nathan a sorrowful look. "That was Dr. Sheridan. Matt has disappeared from the hospital."

****

•••

The body was successfully hooked to the monitors. The lab was densely guarded throughtout. No one really knew what the danger was, except of course Lucy's father.

When Dr. Charlene Malloy told Dr. Bryce Malloy, he was horrified. 

They made a deal. They obviously understood that their daughter had been a genius. They would find out what made this guy tick, then dispose of him, making sure he was properly dismembered. 

Surprise number one: This thing was human, but not totally. Lucy had added something to make it stronger. It was robotic almost. 

Surprise number two: Since this thing was human, it was still alive. It had a brain. It was smarter -- they looked at the screen that monitored its brainwaves-- and now it was dreaming . . .

****

•Fifteenth Century America•

The hooded killer stepped forward; Luke the Apprentice was ready.

This thing was quite different from the Kali-kahn he'd defeated before he came to the new world. 

Summoning powers he didn't know he had, reciting verses that he'd learned from his master, he defeated the Kali. The demon had dispersed, in a cloud of stinking hellfire.

But once again, this Asmodion was different. The demon was more physical and confrontational, not as cerebral as the Kali. The Asmodion had taken over the body of a local teenager, who was viewed as an outcast amongst his peers.

A perfect envious host for the Asmodion. The silent killer. He'd killed his way through nearly half the small mid-Western town.

He wore an executioner's hood, as if he was scared to show his face. And he weilded a mean-looking ax. 

Luke had his own weapon: A long Aztec dagger, specifically made for killing. Specifically made for defeating the Asmodion.

Thunder boomed overhead. Lightening flashed, illuminating the majestic pines that grew in the clearing. 

This was the final face-off. 

"You evil thing," Luke sneered. "I curse the family that brought you forth."

The killer swung forward, missing Luke by half an inch and embedding the weapon in the trunk of a nearby pine. Luke acted quick, however aware of how lethargic this demon usually worked. Luke had ducked, quickly coming around the back of the killer and wrapping his arm around his neck. Pulling him back. Luke rammed the dagger into the killer's heart.

The thunder boomed louder. 

The killer threw Luke off of him, attempting to reach for the ax but it was too late. His body began to glow, throwing off a nearly serene light.

Then he just exploded.

Luke covered his eyes as the knife fell to the ground. He regained himself, grabbing the weapon. He knew that this would not be the end. He had to seal the deal.

He knew that should these two demons ever come into form simultaneously, it would be the end of the world as he knew it.

Luke made a deep slash across his left wrist with the knife. "With this blood, I confine these spirits-- Asmodion, Kali-khan-- to these grounds." The blood began to flow, seeping into the dirt with the power that the words gave it. "Never to venture farther." His slit the opposite wrist. "And may all Apprentices that follow be able to defeat them, once and for all."

He fell to the ground in the stain of his own blood.

****

•The Present•

The spirit inside of the killer remembered the scene all too well. It was his own defeat. Not the first, not the last. How he was being allowed to see this, he couldn't be sure. 

It was a dream. But how?

The killer looked up as the scene around him suddenly began to change. The ground rumbled and the trees were sucked into the grounds from which they grew. The minor vegetation sank into the ground as well. He stood still as he always did. Fiery red clouds began to roll in, changing the sky's color to its own. 

He stood in what seemed to be a dry, post-apocolyptic landscape, free of all humanity. 

His clothing had changed as well, to the familiar garb of the old workman's coveralls. The chrome goalie mask was firm on his face. He was Jason Voorhees.

The wind carried a maniacal cackle with it. 

Then the word was whispered: "Asmodian . . ."

It came from above. Voorhees looked up at the red clouds. They formed into the visage of a man's face, scarred and burned with a bitching triumphant grin. 

"I was here first," the man in the cloud said. 

Suddenly a large arm came swooping down from the cloud, extending a bio-mechanical hand with blades on the end. One of the oversized blades managed to prick through Jason's collar and lift him into the air. Jason's limbs dangled uselessly. "Stay off of my turf," the man said, face to face with Jason. Then he let him go.

Jason plummeted to the ground, which had once more become a grassy field. The sky was dark and starry. He'd landed a few feet from a sparkling lake. Snow-capped mountains stood in the distance. 

This was home. This was Camp Crystal Lake.

"Let's make it a fair fight!" the man's voice said.

An ax dropped from the sky, landing near Jason. He regained himself, grabbing the ax and holding it ready. 

Now the voice was near- "You want me?" -right behind him. Jason whirled around to see the man in his full form. Same scarred face, dusty brown fedora, long black trench over a red and green striped shirt, and blades for fingers on his right hand. "Come and get me, bitch," he said confidently.

Jason immediately swung for him with the ax. For a moment, it seemed as though the weapon connected, but it only passed through the man's body as if he weren't there, as he cackled once more. 

"It's not that easy," the man said, ever confident.

Jason was infuriated. He lifted the ax again, but stopped short when he heard the cry come from the water.

"Help! Somebody help me!"

There was a glimmer of recognition behind the goalie mask. The little boy was _him, _little Jason Voorhees, drowning as the result of a capsized canoe. 

"Aww, would you look at that," the man said again.

When Jason turned to him, he saw that the man's appearance had changed. Before him stood a grungy-looking young man. He was familiar.

"I told you to be careful . . ." The guy looked at the child as he sank into the water. "You didn't listen. Fucking retard." 

Jason tried to swing again, but he could feel this reality slowly draining away, everything becoming blurry. He soon faded from the grassy clearing.

He was waking from the dream.

Young Fred Krueger snapped his fingers. "Damn. Almost had him."

"Sad fact," another young male voice suddenly said.

Fred whirled around and sneered at Matthew. The gesture would've been ten times worse if he still bore the un-dead Freddy countenance. 

"I was worried when I let you go, but now I'm not so sure that it's a problem-- since I've managed to _contain your sorry ass once again!"_ Matt said. "The only difference this time is, you're in my body. But _I'm in your mind."_

"Apprentice," young Fred Krueger said. "All this time and I never figured it out. The gift to my savior, the source of all that's good in the world. The key to my reign in Hell."

"I'll never let it happen. You'll die first!"

"On the contrary--" Fred lifted his right arm and Matt's body levitated-- "You'll wait until I need you." He gestured to the lake and Matt's body followed suit. Suddenly, thick, rusted chains shot out of the water, wrapping themselves around Matt's body. "Let's see how long the Apprentice can hold his breath!" The chains pulled Matt into the water with a loud splash.

****

•••

"Oh shit!" Bryce Malloy screamed when Jason awoke, convulsing and trying to break free. But the "Oh shit" wasn't simply for that . . .

It was for the ax he now fisted in his left hand.

"Where the fuck did that ax come from?"

Voorhees struggled, trying to free himself for the straps that held him, the whole time swinging the ax wildly.

He had two options: Sedate the fucker or make a break for it.

Charlene had already chosen the second option. Bitch!

Voorhees broke free, snatching away the pads that connected him to the monitors. Bryce Malloy was already running for the exit. Jason flung his weapon at the panel of exit controls and hit it _Bullseye! _The heavy steel down suddenly plummeted down. Bryce made a dive as the door was only a few feet from the ground.

Voorhees silently walked forward.

Bryce scrambled under the opening. He was almost out, but it came crashing down on his right ankle. He howled.

The guards rushed to his side. 

"Get me out! Hurry!" he screamed. He knew the killer was closer on the other side, and the fact that he could not see him made it all the worst. 

Inside of the lab, Voorhees retrieved his weapon. 

In the hall, one of the guards slammed his fist into the control panel. When the door lifted enough for Bryce to free himself, the guard hit it again so it would reverse.

Bryce's eyes widened in horror at the sight of Jason's boots on the other side. 

Two more guards dragged him up and helped him away. 

"Close it!" Bryce screamed to the guard that freed him. "Lock the sucker in!"

The guard was frustrated. "I'm trying, but--"

Voorhees had gripped the bottom of the door and was pulling it upward.

"Oh shit!" the guard screamed.

The steel surged upward, as if it were a light garage door.

He stood before them, ax primed for action, chrome mask seeming to gleam in victory.

Jason Voorhees was back.

****

•••

The alarm sounded throughout the entire facility. It was the only sound the SWAT team heard when they arrived. There wasn't an inkling of life. Commander Shaye had his team spread throughout. They had done this before. He thought that Voorhees bastard was dead. 

But somehow the creep was back. And from what the Malloys had told them, he was different. Stronger and smarter. 

His second-in-command, Cunningham, turned to him with a sickly look on his face. "I don't think it will be so easy this time, commander."

Their radios crackled to life. Reports, one after the other, of carnage on every floor. 

Voorhees had wiped out the entire personnel!

The reports were soon followed by random screams over the radio. He could hear the team firing, then screaming, more firing. It went on like that. 

Then the lights went out, plummeting them in darkness.

They were prepared for this. They each lowered their helmets equipped with infared visors. 

"Let's proceed," Shaye told Cunningham.

Weapons primed and ready, they stalked forward. The radios still crackled with the deaths of the team members. 

"Fourth floor," one said. "I'm getting the fuck outta--" Another scream.

They both took the stairs to the fourth floor. 

"That sounded like Harland," Cunningham said. "I think his plan was on point."

"We were sent to do a job," Shaye said as they covered the steps breathlessly. "We've done this before!"

They entered the fourth floor hall. 

"But our entire team--" Cunningham was saying, until he screamed and slipped to the floor.

"Cunningham!" Shaye hollered. He saw that his partner had fallen in a puddle of blood. He reached out to him.

Grabbing his hand, Cunningham said he was okay.

"I mean," Cunningham continued, "How many times can we go after a guy that won't die?"

"Shut up, Cunningham! I think I hear something."

They cautiously stepped forward. 

Shaye had been right, he did hear something. It was like a slow, deliberate dragging. It was followed by a meek "Help! Please!"

The two officers headed in the direction of the call. Their boots had to practically swim through the mass of bodies and blood to get to it. It was one of Shaye's people. He was on his last breath.

Shaye stooped down. He couldn't recall the guy's name; the team was so large. The guy was trembling; Shaye could see the veins of his temple pulsating through the red light. He was horrified when he noticed that the officer's legs were gone. 

"He's crazy," the officer said breathlessly. "Kill after kill . . . it's so easy for him."

Shaye turned when Cunningham suddenly said, "Shaye, I think you need to take a look at this."

"What the fuck?"

The corroded body lay in the middle of the pit. Brown, wormy flesh, one eye drooping lower than the other . . . "It's Voorhees," Shaye realized.

"But how?" Cunningham asked. 

"There's another one . . ."

The fallen officer tried to reach out for them, to warn them. "Shaye . . ." But the two didn't hear him. He tried to scream, but he was too weak. 

He could see the shadowy outline of the killer off to the side. 

His vision was going in and out. He'd lost so much blood. He called for the other two again, but they were so caught up in their theories . . . 

The officer looked up again to see the killer standing silently right before him. He said a quick silent Hail Mary.

And it was over as the ax came down.

Cunningham and Shaye jumped at the sound, pumping as many bullets as they could everywhere. 

Voorhees walked right into the fire as the officers backed away, trying not to slip in the carnage.

They knew it was hopeless. Shaye withdrew a grenade from his belt. 

"What the fuck are you doing?" Cunningham demanded.

"This is his end," Shaye said passionately. "Run!"

"But Shaye--"

"I said get the fuck outta here!" He pulled the tab with his teeth and threw it forward as Cunningham made a break for it.

The tiny bomb landed at Jason's feet. He looked down.

Shaye knew the reaction would be quick for the mini-grenade; he followed Cunningham quickly.

Voorhees kicked the bomb forward . . .

The two officers were rounding a corner when it blew them to bits.

****

•••

Gerald got up from the couch to grab another beer from the refrigerator, as the television blared loudly. He'd fallen asleep while it was on, something his parents had always told him was bad for him. He'd barely gotten any sleep since what happened to Becky. After grabbing a fresh bottle of Heineken, he plopped right back down in front of the TV. Some old black & white movie was on, and if there was anything he hated, it was black & white movies. He flipped the channels, and settled on Letterman.

Letterman tapped his cards on the desk with the usual goofy grin on his face. "Hey Paul, you ever hear of Camp Crystal Lake?"

"Yeah," the band leader said enthusiastically. "That's where that uhh, killer with the hockey mask slaughtered dozens of teenage counselors for having sex when they should've been paying attention to the kids, right?"

Letterman chuckled. "You're absolutely right, Paul, and coming straight from the bowels of Hell, we have him right here folks-- Jason Voorhees!" The crowd went wild, cheering and whooping as the band played a number that reminded Gerald of a silly game show theme. The killer came out, reveling in the adoration and waving at everyone with his machete. One could almost tell he was grinning behind the hockey mask.

"What the hell?" Gerald said.

"So how are things with ya, Jay?" Letterman asked as Jason sat down. Lettermen faced the camera. "Aren't I cool? I called him Jay!"

"Well, things are going fine, Dave," Jason responded, placing his weapon down on the couch beside him. "I just returned from Hell, temperature's great by the way, and I got into a minor disagreement with another sadistic killer. Very small thing, nothing I can't handle."

Gerald sat up, not believing what he was seeing. All the stories he heard mentioned that Jason never spoke. This was some kind of stunt and he knew it. He chuckled, turning up the volume.

Dave's left eyebrow cocked up. "That individual wouldn't happen to be the Springwood Slasher, better known as Freddy Krueger?"

"Yeah," Jason said. "The little punk!" He chuckled. 

"Think you can take him?" Letterman asked manically.

Jason slapped his thigh in laughter. "Take him!" Jason stood, moving towards the camera. "Freddy, I'll grab you by your scrawny burnt little neck and choke slam your ass!"

_Choke slam? _Gerald thought. _That's the Big Show's move. _

Jason continued his rants, right in the lens of the camera. "I want _you _Freddy! In the ring, in front of the entire viewing public! It's on Krueger!"

Suddenly, Jason was pushed aside, his hockey mask falling off the reveal the Big Show of WWF. The camera swung back up, right into the face of--

"Krueger!" Gerald said.

"How's that for primetime, Gerald?" Krueger pulled his claws back and swung forward, the scene on the television becoming a test pattern.

Gerald fumbled with the controls on the remote. "Shit!" he spat. He rose from the couch and went over to it, playing with the buttons and finally slapping the side of it. "Two-hundred and fifty dollars, wasted!" he said.

He suddenly heard a mild sizzling sound coming from the set. Sparks began to fly upwards from it. Gerald took a few steps back.

And fell to the floor when the thing exploded.

Gerald looked up at the fiery mess.

A tall, dark figure rose from the flames. Gerald saw the fedora first. "No!" he said. He hopped to his feet and ran for the door. He didn't get very far.

He was yanked back by his hair.

Krueger turned him around, facing the boy. Gerald had never seen something so hideous in his entire life. Ugly son-of-a-bitch!

"Didn't you know that TV was bad for your vision?" Krueger said, before scooping Gerald's eyes out.


	7. The Nightmare Begins

****

Krueger & Voorhees: The Final Fear

•CHAPTER VI• 

__

"Do you know the terror of he who falls asleep? To the very toes he is terrified. Because the ground gives way under him, and the dream begins." --Friedrich Nietzsche

****

The Nightmare Begins . . . 

Beth walked slowly down the corridor. This place had a familiar feeling, although she'd never been here in her entire life. Then it came to her, from the news clippings and her conversation with the nervy desk sergeant. It was Westin Hills, but it was quite different. It seemed . . . older. It was like the church it was before they changed part of the structure into the clinic.

Bright, serene light filtered in through the panes of glass that lined the walls. Yes, this was definitely the way it had been before. They had later successfully built over the windows due their "suicidal" patients. She knew she was dreaming.

She caught a quick movement out of the corner of his eye. There, over down the hall to the right, a quick flash of a white garment. Beth followed it. It was that inquisitive "dream thinking" that made her do it. She knew that otherwise, she would pay it no mind. She bended around the right corner, the light growing ever brighter. 

The corridor opened into a broad church hall. The white figure walked dramatically down the aisle, a ghostly bride come to join her invisible groom at the altar. 

Beth noticed that there were figures waiting in the pews. They all looked forward silently, expectantly. 

The white figure stopped at the altar and turned to face her. The face was motherly, withered as if she'd suffered a thousand tragedies. 

It was Sister Mary Helena, better known as Amanda Krueger.

"Beth," she said. The people in the pews turned to look at her. Many of the faces were familiar. All of them had died at the hand of Freddy.

Her eyes swept across the faces as she advanced forward, many of them glowed in recognition. They were all from the coroner's reports. Roland Kincaid. Kristen Parker. Nancy Thompson.

Then, to her horror, she saw the face of Gerald.

"Oh God," she whispered.

"Thank you for coming," Amanda continued. 

"Why am I here?" she asked. 

She smiled warmly. "I think you know the answer to that." She gestured to the children with her hand. "I've been protecting these souls for years now. But now I think my efforts have been threatened once again. There is a new danger."

Amanda gestured to the pews once again and Beth turned to look. Suddenly, the seats began to fill with more people, until the entire hall was flooded with little more than standing room. 

"Who are these people?" she asked her.

"They have died at the hand of Jason Voorhees. Beth, I cannot guard all of these souls. These unquiet spirits need to be put to rest, for once and for all."

"But how, Sister?" she asked.

Her image began to fade. "A child, chosen ages ago, has the power to defeat them. He is very near," she told her.

"Who is he?" Beth demanded, desperate for her not to go.

"The Apprentice."

"Apprentice? Who is that?"

"That's how we refer to them. They never know their true power, one has only to show it to them."

"How do I find him. Or her?"

"The child is very near," she repeated.

The image of the Sister began to flicker.

"Wait!" Beth said.

"This evil must be stopped. Look, Beth!"

The Sister pointed to the back of the church. Beth immediately turned around as the wall receded and showed the interior of Coop's bedroom, where he was sleeping peacefully.

Beth whirled back around to face the Sister once more, but she was gone.

****

•••

Beth sat up. Lucy's books lay spread out across the desk. She looked over at the bed. Nathan wasn't there.

She began to panic.

"Nathan!" She got up and ran to the bathroom, where she found him drying off from his shower. 

She immediately shut the door.

Her chest was heaving, her heart was beating so fast. She could almost feel her cheeks turning red. 

The door opened. He came out with the towel wrapped around his waist, followed by thick steam that smelled a lot like juniper. "Beth, you okay?"

She nodded.

Then his face formed into a horrific grimace. "Oh Beth. I'm so sorry."

"If anyone should be apologizing, it's me."

"No. I mean, I let you fall asleep."

She laughed nervously. "Oh. Well look at me. I'm alive." Then it hit her. "We need to go!" 

"What?"

"Coop. He's after Coop!"

"Who?"

"I dunno. One of them!"

"How do you know?"

"I'll tell you in the car! Just get dressed!"

He stood there, looking at her for a moment.

"What the hell are you waiting for?" she demanded.

"Why don't you wait out in the truck so I can put on some clothes," he said.

"Oh. Sorry."

****

•••

Coop abruptly sat up in bed, his heart beating out of control. The insistent buzzing of the alarm clock seemed to fill the entire apartment. He reached over and slammed it hard, shutting the noise off. _What the hell?_ he thought. It was 3 in the morning, why the hell was the clock going off?

He groaned and turned back over in his bed, sinking completely under the covers and burrowing his head into the pillow. Coop shut his eyes and tried to achieve sleep once again, but the sound of running water was coming from the adjacent bathroom.

He sat up. He lived alone, and no one had a key to his place. The only one that did was . . . 

She came out of the bathroom in a tee shirt and a pair of his boxers like everything was perfectly normal.

"Hunter?" he said.

"Of course it's me, silly. Who else would be here?" She hopped into bed with him and slid under the sheets. Then she turned to him. "Coop? Coop, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"But I . . . I thought you were . . ."

"Dead?" Hunter laughed. "I only pretended to be dead so those sons of bitches wouldn't come get me." She took his hand and ran it under her shirt. "Feel me, baby. I'm real."

Coop was brought to tears. "Oh, Hunter . . ."

"Kiss me," she told him.

He leaned in and kissed her lips. Yes, this was the way it was supposed to be. She was as real as can be . . .

"Now get some sleep," Hunter said playfully, and turned away from him.

Coop smiled and turned over, satisfied that his girl was back. He was about to shut his eyes again when he heard the low guttural voice coming from the bedroom doorway.

"I heard you like it rough, Coop."

Coop turned to the source of the statement. Matt stood there grinning very uncharacteristically. 

"Matt, how'd you get in here?" _And why do you sound like you've smoked a convenience store's worth of Salems?_ "Are you okay?"

Matt threw back his head and laughed, responding in the same gravelly voice, "I'm perfectly fine."

Coop's eyes widened in horror when he saw the blades protrude from Matt's hand. He suddenly knew that this wasn't Matt.

"How 'bout some tongue action?" he asked.

Coop almost asked what the hell he was talking about until he felt himself about to choke. He grabbed his throat, gagging uncontrollably. He felt his tongue growing, fatter and longer. It rolled out of his mouth like a red carpet, extending down along the mattress and pulling him upward, wrapping itself around a blade of the ceiling fan. His legs dangled above the bed.

When he saw Matt again, he noticed that he'd changed. He was bigger, with a burnt face, a dirty brown fedora and a striped red and green shirt under a dark trench. The blades on his right hand had extended to their full length.

Freddy Krueger.

Coop desperately wanted to scream at the bastard to leave Hunter alone when Freddy went to her side of the bed, but he couldn't. Freddy laughed as he grabbed Hunter by her red hair. "Hunter gave good head, didn't she?"

The scream finally came, however soundless, when Krueger pulled her head from her body, showing Coop her scowling face.

"Coop!" Hunter's disembodied head scolded. "Put your fucking tongue back in your mouth!"

Krueger abruptly tossed her head across the room. "Women," he said flippantly. He came over to Coop, who was dangling from the fan. "A little tongue-tied, Coop? Don't look down!" he cackled.

The mattress of his bed was suddenly thrown to the side, revealing a fiery inferno down below.

"Any last words?" Krueger asked.

Coop couldn't respond.

"Didn't think so." Krueger used a blade to slice Coop free, and laughed as Coop dropped all the way down into the fire.

****

•••

Jason stood near the frozen lake. He was here again, and he knew the reason why this time. 

All was quiet. There was no one to be found for miles. 

He would wait now. It was time to gain the ultimate prize.

Suddenly, there was a stirring in the lake. The icy water began to slush furiously. 

And right before his eyes, the boy floated upward, the chains that had been holding him under snapped. But the boy didn't plummet back down into the water, he simply faded.

Apprentice.

Jason would be ready.

****

•••

Nathan drove this time. Beth was far too nervy.

"Beth, I have a question."

"What's that?"

"You said 'one of them' was after Coop? She didn't tell you which?"

"No, she didn't."

"Well, it can't be Jason, because they captured him, right?"

"In the interest of saving lives or in the interest of science?"

Nathan groaned. "So if he did escape, we'd never know it because that lab is top secret."

"Unfortunately. I need a cigarette." She began reaching around in her console and he abruptly slapped her hand away. "Hey! What gives?"

"No, Beth. You need to quit."

She laughed without mirth. "Nathan, I can quit smoking today and get my head chopped off tomorrow. If I'm gonna die, let me die happy."

He turned to her. "You're not happy?"

"Look what's been happening to me? I didn't even come here on purpose, I stopped in Springlake--"

"Because of me." He returned his gaze to the road. 

"Nathan, I didn't mean--"

"It's okay. I just thought that maybe one good thing came out of this."

She was silent for a moment, then, "You looked great in that towel, by the way."

He chuckled. "So Lois Lane _does_ have a libido?"

"Sure I do. I just don't get to use it often."

Nathan quickly changed the subject. "You told me that the Sister said the Apprentice was the only one that could stop the two of them. What does that mean?"

"I still don't--" The realization hit Beth like a train wreck. It was there, right in front of her face and she hadn't even realized it. "Matthew!"

"Matthew?"

"He's the Apprentice! Remember what I told you guys Lucy said in her book? She said Matt was a lot more important than he knew. He was the one helping her bring back Jason, therefore it's him!"

"But how will that help if we don't know where the fuck he is? And does he even know what he's capable of?"

"I wish I knew, Nathan."

They pulled up in front of Coop's building shortly after.

"Oh god," Beth said, looking out of the window.

They could easily make out the flames that were coming out of Coop's window. 

The two of them immediately hopped out of the truck and ran up to the entrance. Sirens blared in the background.

As they ran up the steps to Coop's apartment, they saw him, sitting on the steps with his head in his hands.

"Matt!" Nathan said.

Matthew looked up, his face tearstained. "I did it. I let him get him!"

****

•••

"He called me Apprentice," Matthew said from the back of the truck.

"I knew it," Beth said. "You're the one that can kill them, once and for all."

"Do you even know how?" Nathan questioned.

"It was something Lucy told me, of how these chosen ones could defeat these demons. I never thought for one moment that she meant me."

"Do you think it's possible that she kept you around just in case she lost control of Jason?" Beth asked.

"No, but it makes sense now."

"I'm gonna need you to be strong now, Matt," Nathan said to his brother. "Your friends--"

"I know, Nathan. Just drive."

"Do you even know where we're going?"

"I was there in Jason's dream when Freddy imprisoned me, but neither of them knew it. There's a border, right down the middle of town where Springwood ended and Crystal Lake began. The two of them, these two spirits, have been drawn to that area forever. If we can bring them both there, and I can remember . . . Maybe I can kill them both." Matthew sounded unsure.

"One of Lucy's books said something," Beth told them. "That it would take a nearly godlike power to kill them, if they didn't kill each other first. Maybe they can take each other out."

"I'd think that by now, they're too smart for that. However, if they do fight, they can weaken each other and it'll be that much easier for me to get them. They don't seem to like each other very much. But Krueger said something else in the dream. When he called me Apprentice, he also said I was the source of all that's good in the world, the key to his reign in Hell, and the gift to his savior. Like I'm a prize or something."

"The key to his reign in Hell?" Beth asked. Then it came to her. "He needs you, they both need you. The book said that the release of the both of them at the same time could mean the end of the world. Maybe that's what they want, and you're the key to getting it."

"That's why Freddy came through when Lucy brought Jason out!" Matthew said. "They _have_ to fight each other!"

Nathan suddenly slammed down on the brakes. "Matthew. Get out."

"Huh?" his brother asked.

Beth looked at him like he'd just landed. "Nathan, what are you doing?"

"Matthew get the fuck outta the truck!"

"Nathan, what's wrong with you?"

"Beth, I can't risk it."

"It's your brother. Krueger doesn't have him anymore."

"How can we be sure?"

"Because he just told you how he could kill him!"

"Well if he's not in Matt then where the fuck is he?"

****

•••

Tia sighed a breath of relief. She was finally on her way home. Away from Springlake and its grisly murders and into the loving arms of her family. She counted her blessings and crossed her heart. Hopefully, there was an escape from Krueger after all. Maybe he couldn't find her if she was away from Matthew.

She hoped her reasoning proved true.

She bit her lower lip to stop from crying over Ricky and the rest of the group. Damned that Lucy! Why did she have to unleash not one but two maniacs upon her and her friends?

Tia sat back and closed her eyes, trying to shut the thoughts away.

She felt an insistent tapping on her shoulder. She turned to the passenger that sat beside her. He was short, middle-aged and was wearing thick spectacles. 

His eyebrows were furrowed in anger. "You stupid little bitch!"

"What?" she demanded.

"You just fell asleep. You killed everybody on the fucking plane!"

"What are you talking about?"

He pointed upward. "THAT'S what I'm talking about!"

Tia looked in the direction of his finger. Krueger looked down at her with his back against the ceiling of the cabin. She screamed.

"Nice to see you're riding the Freddy Skies!" he cackled.

She immediately got up and ran down the aisle. All of the passengers were asleep. "Wake up!" She shook a random passenger to no avail. "Wake up!" She looked around helplessly. "Oh god." Tia ran as fast as she could to the cockpit and threw open the door.

The pilot was asleep too.

She brought her hands up to her mouth. "Oh no!" She backed out of the pit--

Right into Freddy's waiting arms. "It's too easy nowadays," he said.

****

•••

"Tia!" Matthew screamed. "She fell asleep."

"What?" Beth asked. "What happened to her?"

"She's on the plane. I just saw it . . . I don't know how. He got her. We need to hurry!"

Nathan stepped on it.

Ten minutes later, Matthew told him to stop. "We're here."

They all got out of the truck.

"Beth," Nathan said. "Your clothes.

"What?" She looked down. She was wearing a nightie. "What the hell?"

Nathan was in bedclothes too, and so was Matthew.

"We're asleep," Matthew said ominously.

"How is that possible?" Nathan demanded.

"He's playing with our heads. We've haven't been awake for sometime."

"Look!" Beth screamed, pointing in the near distance, by the lake.

The airplane was nose-diving right towards the edge of the water.

"Tia's on that plane," Matthew said, and made a beeline.

"Matt!" Nathan screamed, going after him.

It hit the ground hard, and exploded in a blaze of fire and shrapnel. The shockwave threw Matthew back and he hit his on a large oak. Nathan covered his eyes. Beth ran to him and grabbed him. "Nathan . . . oh God."

They looked up at the fiery wreckage. The dark figure emerged from the fire and smoke, claws primed and ready. He walked confidently, deliberately.

"It's him," she said. 

He broke free of her embrace. "Matt!" He ran to his brother and pulled him away from the tree. "Matt! Wake up!"

His brother's eyes snapped open. "Jesus. What happened?"

Nathan was about to answer, but there was a rustling in the bushes. 

"Nathan," Matt said breathlessly. "Freddy . . . he's coming . . ."

"Freddy's not the only thing we have to worry about," Nathan said, fear shadowing his face.

Matthew followed his brother's gaze. "Oh shit."

Jason stood there, ax in hand. 

"I'm not ready," Matt said.

"Get away from there!" Beth screamed.

Matthew and Nathan made a break for it, narrowly escaping the slice of Jason's weapon. The killer headed for them, then stopped, noticing the other figure coming towards them.

Freddy stopped right in front of Jason. "Think you got what it takes?"

Jason cocked his head to the side, as if to say "Do you?"

Freddy laughed uproariously as they circled one another. "Hey kid? How 'bout we take it back to the old school?"

He lifted his arms heavenward.

Beth, Nathan and Matthew watched in horror as a wooden sign shot up out of the ground where Jason stood. It read WELCOME TO CAMP CRYSTAL LAKE. Then, behind Jason, in the same fashion, cabins and tents materialized. Jason looked around him, then back at Freddy.

On Freddy's side, a metal street sign sprung out of the ground. ELM STREET. And behind him, the house. Old and unused for years, it's wood dirty and cracking. The address plate clearly said 1427.

Beth turned to the others. "He's making it a fair fight."

Nathan seemed mildly amused. "They're gonna kick each other's ass."


End file.
